Limitless
by StarKnight2.0
Summary: Finale in Bioshock trilogy. The Reach have been defeated. Instead of dying, Wally finds himself in Columbia. He teams up with Booker DeWitt to rescue a woman named Elizabeth, all the while fighting a mad man named Comstock and a group called the Vox Populi. Meanwhile, Wally is being hunted by a mysterious man. Will Wally get home? Or will Columbia be his grave? ON HIATUS!
1. Ch 1: Awake

**(a/n: Here we go, a new story. First off, i just want to say that i might not be able to finish the story. Pretty soon i might go on a long, long break from writing because i really need one. If and when i do, I will continue the story, but at a later point. But i'll try and get as far as i can. Also, i'll be making some changes to the 'Bioshock Infinite' part of the story, just little ones. Anyway, Please enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Ch.1: Awake

Wally's eyes snapped open and he bolted up right breathing heavily.

He looked around for Flash and Impulse. The speedster didn't see his friends. Instead, he saw two men dressed in matching police uniforms that looked rather old. They eyed Wally suspiciously, which made the speedster a little uneasy.

He glanced around and saw that he wasn't in the Arctic anymore but rather in a busy street. People went about their business, buying things from nearby shops and talking with friends.

The street itself was cobblestone and across from Wally were a pair of towering buildings.

Everything, the people, the buildings, even the policemen's uniforms all looked like they came from a picture New York from the early late eighteen hundreds to early twentieth century.

Wally frowned in confusion, trying to remember on how he got here.

* * *

He remembered that the League and the Team had defeated the Light and the Reach but the Reach had activated devices that could destroy Earth's magnetic field and ultimately the planet itself. With Lex Luthor's help, the League and the Team disabled twenty of them.

However, Blue Beetle discovered one in the Arctic. Flash and Impulse tried to stop it but the device went into chrysalis mode. The two speedsters tried to use their speed to create a vortex to draw off the massive amount of power that the device had built up but they needed help.

Which is where Wally came in. Wally arrived and added his speed to theirs, which helped draw off more energy than before.

Unfortunately Wally's slower speed made him a target for stray energy discharges. Each shot of energy hurt Wally badly but he carried on regardless. When he heard that they had done it, that the device had shut down, Wally felt his entire being slip away. He saw the world around him fade and all physical sensation like pain and fatigue vanished.

At first Wally thought he had died but oddly enough, he didn't.

He could hear whispers and he caught flashes of images, a man in grey glaring at him with icy blue eyes, a calm ocean dotted with thousands of identical lighthouses and a city on fire.

When Wally felt all physical sensations return, he opened his eyes and he found himself sitting on a park bench.

* * *

The speedster rose from the park bench, his wobbled a little and he steadied himself.

Wally noticed that he wasn't wearing his costume. Instead he was wearing a plain grey suit. "What the?" muttered Wally.

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Wally glanced at the hand then to the person who owned it. It was one of the policemen who were giving him the evil eye. The man had short black hair and blue eyes.

The policeman looked Wally in the eye and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine thanks" said Wally politely.

The policeman's eyes narrowed a little and he asked, "May I see some identification?"

"Huh?" said Wally.

The policeman held out a hand and asked, "May I see some identification?"

Wally stared at the policeman in surprise. He searched through his pockets but he found that they were empty. The policeman frowned "Well?"

"I…uh…" stammered Wally. The policeman shook his head "Well, if you don't have identification, then I'm afraid that I have to arrest you"

"What?" exclaimed Wally "What for?"

"For being a member of the Vox Populi" said the policeman. He grabbed Wally and he forced the speedster to the ground. The policeman pinned Wally's arms behind his back and he tried to handcuff him while Wally sputtered "W-what? I'm not a member of the Vox whatever it is?"

"That's what they all say" said the policeman

"I'm innocent" pleaded Wally

"If you are, then you have nothing to worry about son" said the policeman's comrade who appeared beside his comrade.

When Wally was in handcuffs, the policemen pulled Wally to his feet.

They were about to drag the speedster away when suddenly a woman shouted, "There you are!"

Wally and the two policemen looked over and saw a woman approach them. She was pale, had blue eyes and red hair. The woman was dressed in a cream-colored jacket, red skirt, a suit vest, a white shirt and a green necktie. She walked right up to the three and she scowled at Wally.

The woman scolded Wally "Do you have any idea how worried I've been? I sent you out on an errand and you didn't return all night. Where did you go if I may ask?" she sniffed and here eyes widened "You've been drinking again, have you?"

"No, I haven't" said Wally.

The two policemen looked at the woman and asked, "Can we help you ma'am?" "Yes, can you let him go" said the woman.

The first policeman shook his head saying "No can do, he's a suspected member of the Vox Populi"

the woman rolled her eyes "Oh please. He couldn't possibly be one of their agents, he's too incompetent"

"Hey!" said Wally in a wounded tone.

The second policeman said, "He didn't have his identification papers".

The woman sighed and she shook her head in disappointment muttered "Honestly Wally, I taught you better than this" she reached into her jacket and pulled out some papers.

The two policemen and Wally looked at the papers. They saw Wally's picture with some personal information. To Wally's surprise, it had every little detail on him right down to his blood type and weight.

The only mistake was his last name. It was changed from West to Lutece.

The woman tapped her foot impatiently and she said irritably "Now will you let him go?"

"Right, sorry" said the first policeman. He unlocked Wally's handcuffs and he apologized.

The second policeman apologized as well "Sorry for the mix up Mrs. Lutece, this is our first day on patrol"

"Yes, well I'll make sure that he's more careful" said the woman placing an arm on Wally's shoulder.

The first policeman nodded and said "Good. Next time ma'am, make sure your son has his papers or else we'll put him away"

"Don't worry, I will" assured the woman. The two policemen turned and left.

* * *

Once the policemen were out of sight, the woman glanced at Wally and warned, "Be more careful next time Wally"

"Yeah, I will" muttered the speedster.

He glanced at the woman and asked, "How did you know my name? Actually, how did you get all that information on me?"

The woman shrugged and said nonchalantly "From your file"

"What file?" asked Wally. The woman didn't answer. She glanced around the street then handed Wally his papers "Here, you might need these"

"Thanks" muttered Wally, accepting the papers.

The speedster asked, "Where exactly am I?" "Columbia" answered the woman.

Wally frowned and was about to ask another question but he saw something in the corner of his eyes. He spun around but saw nothing but another street that led somewhere else in the city. Wally turned to ask the woman his question but he saw that she was gone.

He sighed and muttered "Weird".

* * *

The speedster trudged down the street, passing stores and stalls that were decorated with red white and blue banners.

Big band music played loudly as people went about their business. Wally heard a man and woman talking about a lamb and a prophet.

He saw some people carrying the American flag, cheering about a man named Comstock and the founding fathers.

Children played in the streets, playing games and setting off firecrackers.

Wally had no idea where he was. At first he thought that he had somehow ended up back in time to early twentieth century New York but something in his gut told him that he was somewhere entirely different.

When Wally reached the end of the street, his gut feeling was confirmed.

The speedster stood there behind a small police barricade, watching a parade of airships drift by in-between the two floating sections of the city. In the gap between streets, Wally saw that there was nothing beneath the city, nothing but a sea of clouds.

The only thing that came to the speedsters mind were the words "Where the hell am I?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the middle of the crowd who watched the parade of airships, a man dressed in grey watched the redheaded boy intently.

His icy blue eyes narrowed and he muttered "Anomaly located. Adjustment, in progress".

End of chapter

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**(a/n: Well what do you think? Please review!)**


	2. Ch 2: Public Enemies

**(a/n: here we go, please review!)**

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Ch.2: Public Enemies

Once the parade of airships passed, the police removed the barricade and lowered a bridge.

Wally strolled across the bridge and traveled further into the city.

As he trudged down the street, Wally glanced up and saw more of the city. There were dozens of floating islands, each containing a city block. Drifting around them were smaller islands and airships. Connecting the various floating islands were slim, silver rails made of steel.

Wally saw train cars traveling along the rails towards a nearby city block. Up ahead in what looked like small city square, Wally saw a towering statue of a man wielding a long curved sword. The man stood heroically on a large stone platform.

The speedster glanced around and he saw a sign that read "New Eden Square".

Wally entered New Eden Square and he stared up at the statue. He glanced around the square and saw various people chattering excitedly about a celebration.

A newsboy standing on a stack of boxes waved a newspaper shouting "…A full transcript of the Prophet's recent address to you, the people of Columbia on the holy forgiveness of our dear Lady Comstock, our beloved mother of forgiveness!"

Wally frowned in confusion but he shrugged. He saw a carriage pass him by and he saw that a fully mechanical horse pulled it.

The speedster stood there in the square for a few moments, trying to figure out what to do when he saw a small regiment of soldiers march past led by a highly decorated officer, a drummer and a boy playing a fife.

Wally watched them as they passed and he saw that people were starting to follow them.

Eventually, the speedster decided to follow the crowd and see where they were going.

As he followed the crowd, Wally passed by street vendors selling assorted foods and items for the celebration.

He heard people talking excitedly about a raffle. Wally decided to see what this raffle was.

As the crowd marched down the street, Wally heard a man ask, "You lost?"

The speedster glanced to his left and saw a man dressed in a grey suit vest, a jacket, dark pants, black shirt and a red necktie. Wally nodded a little "Yeah"

The man smiled a little "Me too" he extended a hand "I'm Booker DeWitt, I'm new in town"

"I'm Wally" said Wally, shaking Booker's hand. Once the crowd came to the end of the street where Wally saw a sign pointing towards the raffle. Booker nudged Wally and nodded towards the street.

Wally and Booker broke off from the crowd and they went down the other road towards the raffle.

* * *

As they strolled down the street, Wally glanced around at the buildings and admired the architecture.

Booker glanced around the street and seemed mildly impressed by their surroundings.

After a moment of silence, Booker spoke to Wally "So Wally… I need your help"

Wally looked to Booker and asked "What?"

"I need your help" repeated Booker. He scratched his chin a little then explained, "I'm a private investigator and I need you to help me find a…girl"

"a girl?" said Wally, raising an eyebrow.

Booker nodded "Yeah, she's very important to the people who hired me. She's locked up somewhere in this city. All I need to do is find her and bring her back to my employers. To do that, I need another set of eyes to help me search"

"No offense Booker but I don't know you" said Wally. He frowned then asked "How do you know that I can help?"

"Because I was told that you can" said Booker. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a black and white photo. Booker handed it to Wally.

What Wally saw, made his heart skip a beat. The photo was a close up of Wally's face. He turned the photo over to the back and saw a small message scribbled on it. The message read "_Find him, he can help. Trust him and no one else."_

Wally looked up at Booker and asked, "Where did you get this?"

Booker shrugged "I don't know. It was with the box my employers left me with a clue on the girl that I'm supposed to find".

Wally thought for a moment. Who were Booker's employers? Why did they have a photo of Wally with a message saying trust him? Nothing was making sense. However, Booker was hired to find someone who may be in trouble. Wally had nothing better to do and if he was going to get some answers, then maybe helping Booker will help the speedster find out what's going on.

Eventually, Wally handed the photo back to Booker and said "Ok, I'll help"

"Great" said Booker, smiling.

* * *

The two strolled through a number of busy streets, following the crowd deeper into the city.

They passed various shops that were closing up so that the storeowners could join the festivities; a barbershop quartet serenading a small gathering and a couple that was bickering about the Vox Populi. Eventually, Wally and Booker found themselves in a street with a commanding view of the rest of the city.

Wally found the view breath taking. The afternoon sun shone down on the city causing it to glitter like diamonds.

But a massive shape in the distance eclipsed the sun. Wally squinted and he realized that it was a giant statue of a woman. The woman had flowing hair and massive feathery wings.

Booker frowned and he reached into his jacket for something. He withdrew a small pamphlet that had a sketch of the statue with the words "Monument Island" inscribed beneath it.

Wally asked, "What is it?"

"Our target" answered Booker "That's where they said she'll be".

Wally whistled, "That's far" "We better get going then" said Booker.

The two turned to leave but they saw a small boy standing there. The boy held up a slip of paper saying "Telegram, Mr. DeWitt"

Booker scowled and he accepted the telegram muttering "Thanks"

The boy turned and sprinted away.

Wally asked, "Were you expecting a telegram?"

"No" said Booker.

Booker inspected the telegram and he read aloud "_DeWitt. Stop. Do not alert Comstock to your presence. Stop. Whatever you do, do not pick #77. Stop- Lutece" _

Booker frowned "What the?" he glanced to Wally "Mean anything to you?"

Wally shook his head. The message was gibberish to Wally but the name Lutece was familiar. It was the name on his papers and the name of the woman who saved him from being hauled off to jail. The speedster decided to keep that information to himself for the time being.

Booker just shook his head "Whatever. Let's get going." He shredded the telegram and tossed it into the nearest trashcan as the two continued on their journey.

* * *

Just moments after they left, a man clad in a dark grey suit and fedora emerged from the shadows.

His icy blue eyes narrowed and he glanced to the trashcan. The man reached in and scooped up a fistful of shredded paper.

He eyed the pieces in his hand for a moment then his eyes flashed blue for a split second. In the blink of an eye, the shredded remains of the telegram fluttered around and reformed the telegram.

The man read the message then pocketed the telegram.

He scanned his surroundings and saw faint white footprints appear on the ground for just a moment then fade.

The man in grey looked up and he took off at a brisk pace, following the trail of his target.

* * *

Wally and Booker passed through a busy market place that was filled with dozens of tents, each showcasing a variation of the same product, called Vigor.

A Barker stood outside of a tent and boomed, "…Those are no flights of fancy! Those are no tall tales told at the pool hall! No sir, no ma'am, those are Vigor's I am talking about!" he glanced around the gathering standing before him "Brought to you courtesy of Mr. Jeremiah Fink himself!"

His eyes scanned the crowd for a reaction. "Who here among you has tasted the sweet divine taste of Vigor?"

None of the crowd spoke. The Barker smiled "Well don't worry, just one swig and feats of wonderment are at your fingertips!"

a man in the crowd held up a hand "I'll take one!" "So will I!" said another.

Wally's eyebrows rose. From the sound of the advertisement, the Vigor's sound eerily like Plasmids. The speedster felt a little nervous about the Vigor's. He saw what Plasmids had done to the people of Rapture. He didn't want to know what side effect that a Vigor might carry.

However, Booker wasn't so worried. The private investigator approached a nearby tent and the Barker said, "Step right up and test the Bucking Bronco Vigor"

"Sure, why not" said Booker.

The man behind the counter handed Booker a bronze colored bottle that had a carving of a man riding a bucking bronco on the lid. Booker removed the lid and downed the Vigor. He offered Wally the Vigor.

Wally thought for a moment then decided to give it a try, hoping that it wasn't like the Plasmids of Rapture.

The Vigor tasted a little sour but the taste instantly faded.

A set of cut outs popped up behind the counter and the Barker explained "Just hit the Devil three times" "Sounds easy" muttered Booker.

The private investigator pointed to the first target and an invisible force knocked it over. Wally tried. He focused on the target and the target instantly was knocked over. The speedster blinked and he grinned, "That was so cool".

After Booker had taken down the last target, the Barker nodded approvingly "Good work. Here's a free sample" he handed Booker another Bucking Bronco bottle and tipped his hat "Have a nice day fellas".

The two left and continued on through the busy market.

As they traveled through the busy market, fireworks rocketed above and exploded in a shower of bright colors.

Various, delicious scents filled Wally's nostrils and he heard his stomach grumble.

Booker glanced at him "You hungry?"

"Yeah" said Wally.

The private investigator nodded to a nearby booth "Lets get some lunch" "Sounds good to me" said Wally.

* * *

As they bought some lunch, the man in grey stalked through the market place.

He passed a tent exhibiting recording devices called Voxophones. The man skirted past a platform where a large half man, half mechanical creature was being showed off to an amazed crowed.

He passed a Vigor stall when the Barker said "Hey fella"

The man in grey paused and he turned to face the Barker. The Barker eyed the man suspiciously "You're new in town aren't you?"

the man in grey nodded and replied emotionlessly "What gave me away?"

"The weird getup" said the Barker.

The man in grey looked down at his attire and he muttered to himself "Wrong time period" he looked up at the barker and smiled an awkward, forced smile "Please, tell me, have you seen these two?" he reached into his suit and withdrew a picture of Booker and Wally.

The Barker studied the photo and nodded "Yeah, I did"

"Where did they go?" asked the man in grey.

The Barker frowned "What's in it for me?"

"I spare your life" said the man.

The Barker felt a shiver run down his spine. The man in grey spoke in a tone that was devoid of emotion but it carried an edge that made the Barker nervous.

The Barker pointed off to where Booker and Wally went "They went that way".

The man in grey nodded "Thank you" his eyes flashed blue for a moment and the Barker found himself alone in the busy market place, with no memory of encountering the stranger.

* * *

After finishing their lunch and sampling another Vigor, Booker and Wally marched on through the market place until they came to a gate that was manned by an automated ticket taker.

They tried to open the gate but the automaton said, "_Sorry pal but the raffle's all sold out" _

Booker smiled "We'll see about that" he raised his hand to the automaton. His hand glowed light green and the ticket taker glowed light green. The automaton twitched a little then said, "_Well if it isn't Assemblyman Buford. Your spot at the raffle awaits". _

The gate slid open and the automaton tipped its hat to the two.

Wally and Booker passed through the gates.

On the other side of the gates, they encountered a man and a woman.

Wally recognized the woman. It was the woman who saved him from the police. The man standing next to her looked similar to her. He had pale skin, red hair, blue eyes and dressed in a cream colored jacket, a suit vest, white shirt, green necktie and red pants.

The man carried a chalkboard with a line drawn down the middle. One side had twelve tally marks beneath the word "Heads". On the other side had no tally marks and at the top read "Tails". The woman held a porcelain plate with a single, silver coin on it.

The man spoke "Heads" "Or tails" finished the woman.

Booker tried to move past them but the two blocked his path.

Booker scowled "Come on, let us through"

"Heads" said the man "Or tails" finished the woman.

Booker picked up the coin and grumbled "Fine". He flipped the coin and said "Tails".

The coin landed on the plate and the two looked down at the silver coin. The man looked up at the woman and said with a hint of smugness, "Told you".

The woman rolled her eyes and added another tally to the 'Heads' column. The man sighed "I never find that as satisfying as I imagined"

"Chin up, there's always next time" said the woman.

The woman glanced to Wally and asked, "Having a fine day dear?"

"Yeah" answered Wally "Thanks for helping me earlier"

"No problem" said the woman "Just don't let me catch you doing that again". She frowned and then told him "Don't slouch. Gentlemen don't slouch"

"Huh?" said Wally looking confused.

The woman didn't answer. Instead she told Wally "Run along dear, we'll see you later. Enjoy the festivities. After the celebrations, you and I are going to have a serious talk about your behavior young man" the man and woman turned and walked away with another word.

Booker glanced at Wally and asked "What was all that about?"

"I have no idea" said Wally looking utterly confused.

* * *

As they continued on, Booker glanced back over his shoulder and watched as the woman and the man confront another man.

The private investigator frowned and he glanced to Wally, wondering what the woman's connection to Wally was.

Booker shrugged and figured that she was a relative of Wally or something.

* * *

Moments later, the man in grey emerged through the gate and glanced around.

He saw two pairs of footprints. One led off in one direction, towards the raffle. The other set led away.

The Man in Grey frowned and he knelt down to study the second set of prints. His eyes scanned the shape and size of the prints.

Instantly, he recognized that they belonged to a man and a woman. The Man in Grey scowled and he muttered "Them."

He got to his feet and he glanced at the trail that led elsewhere. He then said to nobody "I'll deal with them later" he turned and he took off, following Booker and Wally's trail.

* * *

Wally and Booker traveled down a less crowded lane and followed it towards a park.

There were a set of steps leading up to a grand park, decorated with ornate fountains, marble statues and lush plants.

Booker saw that the massive statue of Monument Island was drawing near. As they passed through the park, the raffle was being held just a yard away.

A crowd of people was gathered around a large stage where a man dressed in a fine black suit and top hat stood. The man stood in front of a large red curtain and announced "And now the 1912 raffle has officially begun!"

The crowd cheered and clapped loudly.

Booker and Wally paused. The two glanced at each other and Booker shrugged "Why not? It's just a raffle"

"Maybe we'll win something good" said Wally.

They approached the stage. At the foot of the stage, a woman held a basket filled with baseballs. Booker asked "how much?"

"It's free" answered the woman.

Booker reached in and scooped out a baseball. On the baseball was the number 77 in red paint. Booker's eyes narrowed at the ball and he remembered the telegram. He muttered "Seventy seven…"

Wally heard Booker and he looked at the baseball as well. The speedster got a sick feeling in his stomach, like something bad was going to happen.

The woman holding the basket nodded approvingly "Seventy seven. That's a lucky number" she winked at Booker "I'll be rooting for you". She turned and walked away.

The man on stage boomed "Bring me the bowl!" a woman dressed in red white and blue climbed on stage carrying a bowl.

The crowd cheered and whistled. The announcer chuckled "Isn't she the prettiest girl in all of Columbia?"

Once the crowd fell silent, the announcer reached into the bowl saying "And the winning number is…" he withdrew a small piece of paper and he announced "Seventy seven!" the crowd cheered.

Booker muttered, "Well what do ya know…"

Booker held up his baseball and the announcer pointed to Booker "Come and claim your prize!" the curtains behind the man slowly rose.

What Booker and Wally saw made them freeze in place. On stage, were a man and a woman, both of them tied to a posts.

The man was pale and wore a dirtied suit. The woman had dark skin and she wore a muddied dress. The crowd began humming a wedding march and a cut out of a priest popped up behind the two.

The two struggled against their bindings and the man pleaded "Please, it was me, please no!"

Wally's eyes widened in shock and Booker muttered "What the hell?"

The announcer turned to Booker "Come on, are you gonna throw it or are you taking your coffee black these days?" the crowd chuckled.

The man who was tied up yelled "Please, I'm the one you want! Just let her go!"

Wally looked at Booker and then realized what the prize was. It made the speedster sick to his stomach.

Booker glanced at the ball in his hand and he glared up at the announcer growling "I got something for you, you son of a bitch" he moved to chuck the baseball at the man but somebody caught Booker's arm.

Wally, Booker and the crowd saw that a policeman caught Booker's arm.

The policeman examined the back of Booker's hand and suddenly a person in the crowd shouted, "It's him!"

The announcer's eyes widened in shock and the crowd fell silent. The announcer approached and he hopped off stage.

He looked Booker in the eye and growled, "Where'd you get that brand boy? Don't you know that makes you the backstabbin' snake in the grass False Shepherd"

The crowd gasped. A woman cried out in terror "The False Shepherd!?"

the announcer hopped back on stage and crowed "We ain't letting no false Shepherd into our flock"

"No!" roared the crowd.

Suddenly a few more policemen arrived on the scene. The announcer nodded to the policemen and shouted "Show him what we got planned for him!"

The crowd cheered as one of the policemen unhooked a device from his belt. The device looked like a gun that had three sharp metal hooks instead of a gunbarrel. The hooks spun at an alarming rate and the policeman drove the hooks towards Booker's face.

But before the hooks could reach Booker, Wally used his Vigor to knock the Policeman back.

When everyone was distracted, Booker punched the policeman holding his arm and swiped the man's gun from his holster.

Booker fired a few shots into the air and the crowd scattered, screaming and panicking.

The announcer ran away as quickly as he could.

Wally jumped up on stage and untied the man and woman saying "Go, run!" they thanked Wally and Booker and ran.

There was a loud siren and voices growing louder and closer to the park.

Booker scooped up the hook device from the unconscious policeman and he tossed one to Wally saying "Nice work kid, now lets get outta here!"

The two took off running as more policemen arrived on scene.

End of chapter

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**(a/n: Well what do you think? I know i kinda toned down the whole racism thing but hey, i'm trying to keep this 'T' ok? Please review!) **


	3. Ch 3: Skyline

**(a/n: Please enjoy!)**

* * *

Ch. 3: Skyline

Booker and Wally managed to escape from the park.

They ran through the streets till they reached a bridge but the police had already raised the bridge preventing them from escaping.

Bullet's whizzed over their heads. Booker fired back and managed to hit a few policemen in the shoulder and chest.

Wally glanced around for another way and he saw another road leading towards a docked airship. The speedster nudged Booker and he nodded to the airship. The two took off running as the police fired at them. Booker grumbled, "This is a messed up town"

"You got that right" agreed Wally.

The two rushed up the gangway onto the airship and ran towards the prow but they skidded to a halt.

About a half dozen heavily armed policemen were lying in wait for them. Quickly, Booker used his Possession Vigor to take control of a nearby gun turret. The turret locked on the policemen and fired on them. A few were killed instantly but the rest managed to retreat in time with minor injuries.

Booker and Wally jumped off the airship and they circled around the police barricade that surrounded the park.

They slipped past the crowds of panicking citizens and frantic police officers that were running around near the park's entrance.

The two ducked into a narrow road called "Shady Lane" and continued onwards to Monument Island.

* * *

Back at the Park, the Man in Grey weaved through the crowds towards the park entrance.

He slipped past the guards and the announcer who was recounting the chaotic events to a crowd of news journalists who were eager to hear the story from a firsthand witness.

The Man in Grey recognized that the announcer was the businessman Jeremiah Fink, the creator of Vigor's and other assorted goods sold throughout Columbia.

Jeremiah spoke rather dramatically and waved his hands about, pantomiming the events "…And then the False Shepherd bludgeoned an innocent young girl to death while his accomplice, the Lost Son, untied those two filthy Vox Populi agents. They then attack the crowd with such savagery that would make your blood run cold"

The Man in Grey's eyes rolled a little at Jeremiah's lies.

He was obviously lying but the hysteria made it much easier for the crowd to eat it up. The Man in Grey entered the park where medics were busy helping injured policemen. He analyzed their injuries as he passed. Most were non fatal but some were more serious.

Some of the non-injured ones where talking with their friends who had just arrived on scene "…it's just like Comstock has foretold!" said a young policeman "The False Shepherd and the Lost Son have come to lead the Lamb astray!"

Some of the young officers muttered in agreement until their superior barked "Get back to work!"

The man in grey reached the other end of the park and noticed that the trail circled back around. He scowled and he decided to double back and follow.

Before he left, the Man in Grey passed a young officer who discovered some papers lying on the ground. The young man inspected the papers then he gasped.

The officer ran to his superior and handed him the papers the aged policeman studied the papers and his face paled. He waved over Jeremiah Fink.

Jeremiah excused himself and he slipped away from the throngs of reporters. The businessman growled, "What do you want you blithering idiot?"

The officer handed Jeremiah the papers his subordinate found.

Jeremiah's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He looked up at the two policemen and hissed "Not a word of this to anyone! If I catch you uttering so much as a syllable, I will have your heads!"

"Yes sir" said the two officers nervously.

Jeremiah shoved the papers into his pocket and as he nervously adjusted his necktie, he muttered so softly that the Man in Grey almost didn't hear "Comstock's not going to like this. No sir, not one bit".

* * *

Wally and Booker hurried down Shady Lane.

The lane was quite and less crowded than the park or any other street they passed.

The two were silent for a few moments and Booker glanced to Wally saying, "What do you think they were babbling about? The False Shepherd?"

Wally shrugged "I don't know" he glanced around and he suddenly came to a halt.

Booker stopped as well and he saw what Wally was staring at. It was a poster of two shadowy figures standing on either side of a beautiful raven haired woman, whispering into her ears. One figure pointed his hand in one direction, the other figure pointed in the other direction.

The first figure had the letters "AD" inscribed on the back of his hand. The second had a lightning bolt inscribed into his hand. Beneath was an inscription that read "_The False Shepherd and the Lost Son will come to lead the Lamb astray. Be vigilant!" _

Wally frowned "What does that mean?"

"I think it means that they think I'm supposed to be this False Shepherd that supposed to lead their Lamb away" said Booker looking at his hand.

Wally then glanced at his own hand. To his surprise, he saw a lightning shaped tattoo on his hand. That wasn't there before.

Before they could ponder on the poster, a voice cried "Over there!"

Wally and Booker turned and saw a policeman at the far end of the street. The police officer pointed in their direction. Booker grabbed Wally's arm and said "Come on" the two took off running.

At the end of the lane, there was a gate.

As Booker and Wally pushed the gate open, they notice the temperature skyrocketing. Booker muttered, "Is it getting hot or is it just me?"

"It's not you" said Wally. On the other side, they saw nothing but empty road. The two saw a large white building with a sign out front that read "_The Blue Ribbon"_ .

Wally pointed to the building "Let's hide in there"

Booker nodded and the two sprinted towards the restaurant. But before they could reach the front steps, a large ball of fire sailed over their heads and crashed against a lamp post.

Wally and Booker skidded to a halt. A man dressed in a soldier's uniform jumped out from behind a large marble statue, his hands were covered in flames.

The soldier screamed, "Die in the name of our prophet!" "Oh great" muttered Booker.

The soldier chucked another fireball at the two and the two threw themselves aside to avoid it. Booker took cover behind an abandoned cart and fired a few shots at the soldier. The soldier managed to avoid the shots and he hurled another fireball at Booker. Booker quickly ran as the fireball struck the cart and made it burst into flames. Before the soldier could hurl another fireball, Wally used his super speed to knock the soldier off balance.

The soldier stumbled around a little and before he could recover, Wally knocked him out with a punch to the face.

Booker approached the unconscious soldier and looked to Wally in surprise "Nice job kid"

"Thanks" said Wally.

Booker searched the soldier's pockets and he found a small red bottle with a label that had the devil's face on it.

Beneath the devil's face was an elegant title that read "_Devil's Kiss"_.

Booker inspected it for a moment then he uncapped it and downed its contents. The private investigator felt like he drank liquid fire. He felt insides burn up and his hands began to feel like they were melting. Within a few seconds, the burning sensation faded. Booker breathed, "Whew, that wasn't no sample".

Wally went to the end of the lane and glanced around.

There were sections that would've led to other areas of Columbia but it looked like they were disconnected so that the police could capture them. The only way forwards looked like the Blue Ribbon. Wally and Booker climbed up the front steps and entered the Blue Ribbon.

* * *

Inside the Blue Ribbon was quiet, except for the snoring of an unconscious drunk sitting at the bar.

At the far end of the pub were three Kineticscopes, which allowed someone to view a short, black and white video on a certain subject.

Scattered around the pub were several round tables, all had drinks and other assorted items the patrons had before they fled in panic.

Wally heard a familiar voice say, "We have company".

The speedster glanced over to the bar and saw the red haired man who was with the Lutece woman from earlier. This time he didn't' carry a chalkboard.

He stood behind the bar, wiping up a spilt drink with a rag. The woman stood nearby, holding a silver tray that had two bottles filled with a glowing yellow liquid.

The woman nodded "We do indeed"

"Why are you following us?" said Booker, looking rather annoyed.

The woman replied curtly "We were already here" "Why are you following us?" added the man.

Booker opened his mouth to argue but he just sighed in annoyance. The woman held out the tray and said "Aperitif?"

"No thanks" declined Booker

"You'll find that handy in a pinch" said the man "The difference between life and death" added the woman.

Booker looked at the two of them then he rolled his eyes "Fine". He took one of the bottles and he drank. The private investigator coughed a little and felt a shock run through his body then faded.

He looked down at the bottle then to the woman "What the hell was that?"

"Hmm, surprising" muttered the woman, sounding rather unimpressed. Her friend glanced over to her and asked, "Surprising that it worked?"

"Surprising that it didn't kill him" answered the woman.

The woman turned to Wally and handed him the second bottle.

Wally coughed as well and felt a similar shock run through his body. The speedster looked up at her and asked, "What was that?"

"A little something to help with the bullets dear" answered the woman.

The man spoke "A magnetic repulsive field around ones body is quite handy" "if it doesn't kill you" reminded the woman

"Quite right" muttered her friend.

Booker shook his head "Whatever. Is there a back door or something?" The woman nodded to the kitchen door and said "That way and do hurry up"

"Thanks" said Booker. Booker went through the kitchen door to scout ahead. Meanwhile, the woman turned to Wally and asked "Are you enjoying your time in Columbia?"

"Are you kidding?" said Wally incredulously "This place is horrible".

The woman smiled "I thought so" Wally frowned a little then asked, "Who are you?" "I am Rosalind Lutece" she nodded to her friend "And this is my brother, Robert"

"A pleasure to meet you" said Robert.

Wally asked Rosalind "Can you explain to me why am I in Columbia in 1912?" Rosalind and Robert shared a glance then said at once "No".

The speedster frowned "What? Why?" "We don't know why you're here" said Rosalind

"If we did, we wouldn't tell you" added Robert

"Even if we wanted to" said Rosalind finishing her brother's sentence. Wally sighed and shook his head "This day just gets better and better".

Rosalind smiled a little "Don't worry, it gets even better" she then asked "May I see your papers for a moment?"

Wally nodded and he reached into his pocket but he felt that the papers weren't there. The speedster's eyes widened and he quickly checked his other pocket with no result. Wally thought back to when he last had his papers then he remembered the chaos back at the raffle. He must've dropped them in all the confusion.

The speedster breathed "Oh no".

Rosalind noticed that he didn't have his papers and she just placed a hand on his shoulder "Don't worry about the papers. Right now, you must get a move on"

"But-" began Wally but Rosalind held up a hand "No buts young man, just go".

The speedster nodded and he went to the kitchen where he found a back door. Wally walked through the back door where he found Booker standing on the handrail judging the distance between him and the large hook hanging from the building across from them. Wally looked over the railing and saw nothing but clouds.

He looked up and saw that there were no pathways leading onward. The speedster looked up to Booker "Uh, Booker?"

"Yeah?" said the private investigator, glancing over to Wally

"What are you doing?" asked Wally.

Booker shrugged "Testing out a theory". He took a deep breath and he launched himself off the railing, holding his Sky-hook device up and in the blink of an eye, the hooks caught on to the hook that hung on the building across from them.

Wally sighed in relief and called out "Are you ok?"

Booker called back "Yeah, these things must be magnetized to prevent falling to earth".

Booker spun himself around and he swung a little bit then he hurled himself onto a nearby ledge. He turned and he waved Wally over "Come on. We'll get to Monument Island faster this way".

The speedster took a deep breath and muttered "Here goes nothing" he climbed up onto the railing and launched himself, holding aloft his own Sky-hook device. Instantly, the hook's strong magnetic attraction pulled Wally to the other hook and latched on.

Wally was relieved and he managed to throw himself onto the ledge where Booker waited for him.

The private investigator patted Wally on the back "Nice job kid" he glanced around and saw an airship ascend from a nearby cloud. Booker said, "Come on, lets go" the two turned and they climbed through an open window then made their way down to the lower floor.

* * *

The Man in Grey entered the Blue Ribbon. His eyes scanned the pub for any sign of his target. His target's footprints were there but they were mingled with another set.

He sniffed the air and could smell faint hints of a magnetic field. The Man in Grey saw more footprints leading to the kitchen.

He turned to follow but the passed out drunk suddenly woke up.

The man had a thick brown beard and bushy hair. He glared at the Man in Grey "Whass this? A Vox?"

The Man in Grey said calmly "Go about your business"

"I…I knows you…" mumbled the man. He got up from his chair and stumbled over to the man in grey. The drunk poked the Man in Grey on the chest "You're a d….dirty Vox"

"You are mistaken" said the man emotionlessly "Now please go about your business" he turned to leave but the drunk grabbed the Man in Grey by the arm and slurred "You ain't goin' nowhere"

the Man in Grey's icy blue eyes looked down at the drunk's sweaty hands then he looked up at the drunk's eyes saying "Unhand me"

"No" belched the drunk.

The Man in Grey said in a more icy tone "Unhand me or face the consequences"

"Really?" sneered the drunk "Come on, give me your best shot you filthy little n-" before the drunk finished his threat, the Man in Grey raised a hand on grabbed the drunk's arm then twisted. There was a loud crack of bones and the drunk quickly sank to his knees, squealing in pain.

The Man in Grey placed a hand on the man's head and the drunk began convulsing. The drunk's body shook violently, blood and grey matter oozed out of his ears and nose. A high-pitched ringing sounded and shattered every piece of glass through out the Blue Ribbon. When the high-pitched ringing finally died, the drunk stopped convulsing.

The Man in Grey let go of the drunk's arm and he brushed dust off of his suit. He turned and strolled into the kitchen. He followed the trail through the back door and out onto the balcony. The Man in Grey glanced around, searching for his prey but a cold wind brought in clouds, which blocked his sight.

He raised his hand to the clouds and the clouds instantly parted. The Man in Grey saw two shapes in the distance, hopping from one building to the other using Sky-hooks. He frowned. They were getting closer to the Monument. He had to resort to more…drastic measures.

The Man in Grey vanished and he reappeared in the middle of the control room on a nearby airship. The captain of the airship looked at the stranger who just appeared on his airship and sputtered "W-who what?"

"Listen to me and listen close" said the stranger in grey "If you want to protect your lamb and your city, then you shall follow my instructions".

* * *

Wally and Booker hopped from roof to roof, trying to avoid the military and police patrols down below.

Both Columbia's militia and police force blocked off most of the ground routes to Monument Island.

With no other option, the two had to use their Sky-hooks to hop from one building to another while ducking the airships and the random searches by the army.

The two passed through the top floor of one apartment complex where they heard a woman talking to the police down below. She was giving a rather inaccurate and rather racist description of Booker.

Booker frowned and muttered, "Just because this city can fly, doesn't mean it doesn't have its share of idiots".

After sneaking past a small patrol of soldiers, Wally and Booker hopped onto another balcony and slipped into the building.

As they climbed down the stairs, Wally heard a man and woman arguing.

The man spoke "As much as I support her and the cause, violence isn't the answer. We cannot shed blood"

"What will you have us do?" hissed the woman "You see how those…those _people_ treat these poor folks at that horrid raffle, it was bound to happen".

Booker and Wally reached the bottom floor and entered the nearest door. On the other side of the door was a long room filled with printing presses. Standing on one side of the room were a man and woman who looked to be in their mid twenties. The woman saw Booker and Wally and squeaked in surprise.

The man turned and when he saw them his eyes widened in shock. He breathed "You…you're the ones they're after"

"Yeah, sorry about barging in" apologized Wally.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door and a voice growled, "This is the Police, we need your assistance"

The woman gasped, "They're here".

The man shushed the woman "Keep your voice down".

Wally and Booker hid behind the printing presses. They waited in tense silence for a few moments. The police tried to open the door but the door was locked. Nobody said a word.

After a few moments of attempting to open the door, they heard the policeman say "No one's home, on to the next one!" there were some footsteps then silence.

Once they were gone, the woman sighed in relief. The man looked over to Wally and Booker "Go now, they might come back"

"Thanks for not giving us up" said Booker.

The man smiled a little "You're welcome".

The man led Wally and Booker down a nearby hall, passing rooms that were filled to capacity with people of various ethnicities. They were all dressed in dirty clothes and looked rather nervous.

When Wally asked what all the people were doing there, the man explained, "Not everyone in Columbia likes that horrid Raffle that snake Jeremiah Fink holds or how others treat each other. We try and help when we can"

They came to a door at the end of the hall and the man opened it to a street that was filled with abandoned booths and stalls.

The man turned to Wally and Booker saying "Good luck and Godspeed".

The two slipped outside and hid behind an abandoned stall. Booker peeked out from behind cover. He saw a clear path straight to a towering building that reached up higher into the sky but there were several soldiers standing around in the street.

Booker glanced to Wally saying, "I think we can take 'em"

Suddenly an airship descended from cloud cover.

Wally muttered, "You were saying?"

A woman's voice sounded from the loudspeakers on the ship "_Attention citizens of Columbia, the False Shepherd and the Lost Son are in the streets of Columbia. Will you suffer the shame of allowing your wives and daughters to fall prey to their machinations? Or will you act for your family, for your prophet?" _suddenly the stall they were hiding behind burst into flames, revealing their location to the squad of soldiers standing there.

Booker groaned, "Crap".

* * *

After fighting their way through the squad of soldiers, Wally and Booker made it to the building.

High walls surrounded the tower. On the other side, Wally and Booker found themselves in an gloomy courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard was a statue of a bearded man battling a fierce dragon.

Crows circled over head cawing loudly. Wally looked up and saw that the building was enormous. It dwarfed most of the buildings he's seen so far.

The two entered the massive building. Booker and Wally passed through a silent entry hall where a pair of Crows was parched on a statue of a man standing heroically holding a gun. Wally saw a name on the base of the statue.

The name was "John Wilkes Booth".

The speedster's eyes widened "What the hell is up with this town?" "I have no idea" said Booker.

As they walked through the entry hall, the two passed a dimly lit dining room, which was illuminated by a series of flickering candles. The dining table was set for a big feast but the food sat there on the table with thousands of flies circling about. Wally saw a small lounge where a Crow was pecking apart a severed arm.

Booker saw an abandoned private bar where a painting of Abraham Lincoln hung on the wall over the counter. The private investigator saw that in the painting, the former president was depicted as a demonic, oppressive figure.

Finally, they found a flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs the two found a doorway that led to a balcony over looking a meeting hall of sorts.

Dominating the wall ahead of them was a gigantic mural of George Washington holding the Liberty Bell in one hand and a scroll in the other. He stood tall and was bathed in warm candle light. Around him were hundreds of people, cowering and begging for something.

In the meeting hall below, Wally and Booker heard a man boom "And so the Prophet led us to Peking, where we demonstrated to the Sodom Below the true mission that the Founders have given us" the two looked over the balcony and saw a gathering of a large crowd of men in pointed black hoods.

A man stood before the crowd, letting Crows peck and tear at his body.

Booker noticed a set of stairs that led down. He nudged Wally and the two head for the stairs.

As they descended the stairs into the meeting hall, they heard the man sneer "And when the Mandarins and hypocrites of Washington betrayed him, our Prophet did not heel! He did not come crawling for their forgiveness!" the men in the meeting hall cheered.

Wally and Booker came to a halt at the bottom of the stairs. The stairs led to the side of the meeting hall. Booker tried to find a way around the crowd but someone yelled "Look!" the entire crowd turned and saw Wally and Booker.

Booker sighed, "This is just not my day".

* * *

They fought their way through the crowd.

Booker used his Devil's Kiss Vigor to clear a way through while Wally used his super speed and Bucking Bronco Vigor to drive out any stragglers. Their attackers fired at them but luckily the drink that Rosalind gave them worked. The bullets bounced off an invisible wall that surrounded them.

When they were sure they took care of the crowd, Booker and Wally found a new stairway that led further up the monument.

The two reached an empty floor that looked like it was used as an office for several people. A radio sat on one of the desks and an announcer reported "_…shortly after 1 o clock this afternoon, the scoundrels- believed now by many to be Vox Populi agents-begun their terrible rampage. Trouble began almost instantly. Full of wrath and bent on harm, the Anarchists maliciously wounded several Columbian peacemakers before then arming themselves and firing into an assemblage of innocent fairgoers" _

"We did not!" said Wally.

Booker sighed "So much for going unnoticed".

The two searched through the office to find a way to the upper floors. After a few moments, Booker found an elevator.

Wally and Booker got into the elevator and the elevator ascended to the upper the elevator came to a halt, Wally and Booker found themselves in a round meeting room. In the middle of the room was a round table where a film projector and a bunch of books were left. Booker went to the only door in the room and tried to open it but he could only open it part way. The private investigator looked down and saw that someone had chained up the doors.

A scent of rotting flesh suddenly hit Booker. He pinched his nose and he saw the source of the smell.

A few feet away from the door was a torture rack where a body was hanging from, with large gashes and holes all over. Booker kicked open the door and he glanced around. To his left he saw a gloomy looking garden filled with dead trees, fallen leaves and an empty fountain.

The two crossed the garden and Booker found a black Vigor bottle with a lid that was shaped into a Crow's head. The label read _"Murder of Crows". _

On the back of the bottle, it read "_Stun and damage enemies with a thousand needling pecks". _

Booker said to himself "Might come in handy". He pocketed the Vigor and the two continued on.

Wally and Booker finally made it out of the building.

They were standing on a balcony that had a clear view of Monument Island ahead of them. Booker mentally marked out a path for them, which led them to the Gondola station that had gondolas that led up to the Monument.

When they were ready, Wally and Booker took off, leaping from building to building, getting closer and closer to the monument.

* * *

At the station, Booker and Wally fought through a small barricade manned by a few soldiers.

Once they were taken care of, Booker armed himself with one of the soldier's machine guns. He pulled the Murder of Crows Vigor from his pocket and drank it.

The Vigor tasted bitter and it had a sour aftertaste. Booker looked down at his hands and muttered "Lets take this out for a spin".

Inside, the two made their way through the entry hall but they came to a halt. There were at least a dozen more soldiers patrolling the station. Booker lifted his hand and he focused on one of the soldiers.

After about a moment of nothing, a flock of Crows suddenly attacked the soldier and they began pecking at his face.

Some of the other soldiers ran over to help. With the soldiers distracted, Booker and Wally slipped past them and ran for the terminal. The terminal led outside where a gondola waited for them.

Unfortunately, when they boarded the gondola, an automaton, which acted as an automatic pilot, told them that the gondolas were all closed down and that workers had to take the Sky-Line up to the monument. Booker and Wally looked over towards the long silver rails by the gondola.

Wally's eyes followed the rails and saw that they led to Monument Island like the gondola.

Booker looked over to Wally and grinned "You thinking what I'm thinking?" "Yeah" said Wally.

The speedster and the private investigator got their skyhooks. They both took a few steps back then ran and jumped over the side of the gondola, they caught the rail with their skyhooks then the rail sent them hurtling forward towards Monument Island.

* * *

The rail weaved past buildings, carried them over stationary airships and under bridges. Wally was enjoying the Sky-Line.

It was like a rollercoaster, except it was way more dangerous and he was getting shot at by soldiers from nearby buildings.

Finally, Booker and Wally reached a building that was at the foot of the massive monument.

When the two dismounted from the Sky-Line, they found themselves surrounded by a squad of soldiers.

But before the soldiers could fire, a voice boomed over a loudspeaker like thunder "_Stand down!"_ the soldiers all lowered their weapons then got down on their knees.

The soldiers all bowed their heads and began muttering a prayer of sorts. Booker and Wally shared a confused glance then decided to take advantage of the abrupt ceasefire.

They weaved through the circle of kneeling soldiers and entered the building. Inside, they found at least a hundred more heavily armed soldiers kneeling and bowing their heads in reverence towards a large screen. On the screen was the image of a bearded man with an inscription that read "_Our Prophet, Father Comstock"_.

Wally recognized that it was the man was the same man depicted fighting a dragon in the gloomy courtyard of the tower.

In front of them was a lift. Booker and Wally got on the lift and activated it.

As the lift slowly ascended higher, the image of the bearded man changed to a live image of him.

The man glared at the two threateningly "_I know why you have come, False Shepherd. I see every sin that blackens your soul. Wounded Knee, the Pinkertons, the drinking, the gambling and of course…Anna." _

Wally glanced over to Booker who looked like he saw a ghost.

Comstock continued "_And now, to repay a debt, you've come for my lamb. But not all debts can be repaid, Booker". _

Booker snarled, "You don't know me pal!"

Comstock shook his head "_Prophecy is my business, Mr. DeWitt as blood is yours" _his expression darkened "_Do you know why these men are willing to die for me, because I have seen their future in the glory and hence they are content. What brings you to Columbia Booker? 'Bring us the girl and wipe away your debt'?" _

Comstock his head sadly "_This will end in blood DeWitt. But then again, it always does with you. Doesn't it?" _

Booker winced in pain and he felt something running down his nose. He reached up and wiped it away. He looked down and saw blood on his fingers.

Wally scowled up at the man on the screen.

Comstock turned his attention to Wally. His eyes narrowed a little at the speedster and said "_You, the Lost Son. You are a mystery, even to me. But, I do see a name. Wally."_

Wally's eyes narrowed. Comstock nodded slowly "_I see that there is a resemblance between you and her. So, have you come to avenge your mother? That vile woman who tried to betray me?" _

"What are you talking about?" said Wally feeling utterly confused.

Comstock didn't answer. Instead, he said menacingly, "_One way or another, I will find out who you are."_

The lift reached the top where a walkway waited for them. Booker and Wally quickly got off the lift then took off running.

Comstock boomed, "_You've come to lead my lamb astray but thy crook is bent and thy path is twisted. Go back to the Sodom Below from which you came!" _they saw the screen move and they saw that it was attached to a massive airship.

Wally and Booker ran down a hall when suddenly Comstock roared, "_Go back!"_ the hall ahead of them exploded in a shower of debris.

When the smoke cleared, the two saw that the hall ahead of them was completely obliterated. There was nothing but open sky and Comstock's massive airship hovering closely ahead of them.

Booker muttered, "Shit".

The private investigator glanced around the airship when he saw a hook dangling from the side.

Booker told Wally "Follow my lead". He took a few steps back and he took a running leap at the airship. Booker's skyhook caught the airships hook and he quickly dismounted onto a small platform attached to the airship.

Wally followed and the two entered the airship.

They fought a small squad of soldiers and they made their way to the control room. Inside the control room, they found a woman who looked terrified to see them.

Booker assured her that they weren't going to hurt her then he assumed control of the airship.

As he worked on the controls, a smaller airship appeared in front of them. Standing on the deck of the smaller airship, holding a microphone was Comstock.

Comstock said, "_The Lord forgives everything. But I am just a prophet, so I don't have to. Amen"_ the small airship flew away.

"Amen" said the woman. Wally and Booker turned where they saw the woman holding aloft a torch.

The woman was drenched in gasoline looked calm. She dropped the torch and she burst into flames. The flames spread to the rest of the control room.

Booker and Wally felt the ship lurch and veer off course.

Booker yelled to Wally "Lets go!" the two raced out of the control room and jumped out a smashed window. They fell and fell till they caught onto a Sky-Line with their skyhooks.

Wally glanced back and saw the blazing airship. It burned brightly then exploded.

Booker sighed "That was close".

The Sky-Line carried them along then finally deposited them at what looked like a gondola station.

A sign hung above them read "_Welcome to Monument Island"._

End of chapter.

* * *

**(a/n: I hoped you enjoyed this. Please review!)**


	4. Ch 4: The Impossible Woman

**(a/n: Please enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Ch.4: The Impossible Woman

Wally and Booker left the small gondola station.

They followed a long corridor until they came to a door. The two found themselves in the middle of a tranquil garden.

There was a stone path that led to other areas around the island. Scattered around were some benches for visitors and in the middle of the stone path was a large stone fountain.

Wally and Booker followed the stone path until they came to wall that surrounded the monument itself. Posted on the walls were warning signs and signs telling visitors to stay out. The two looked up at enormous monument that easily towered over any building in Columbia.

Booker muttered, "Here we are, just like they said"

"It's huge," said Wally in astonishment. The monument easily dwarfed any structure back home.

Booker frowned a little saying "Wonder why they're keeping her in a place like this?" Wally shrugged.

The two began searching for a way in but they saw that gates were sealed up tight and the wall was a too high to climb. Booker noticed a hook hanging high over the wall. He held up his skyhook and was instantly pulled off the ground by the strong magnetic pull of the hooks. Booker swung himself forward and he threw himself over the wall.

When he landed, he told Wally what to do. Wally did as Booker instructed and landed on the other side of the wall.

Booker and Wally hurried up the front steps. They passed a pair of stone angels and entered the monument.

* * *

Inside, they entered the entry hall. Along the walls were lockers where workers would keep their belongings.

On the floor were long electrical cords that snaked their way up the walls and up through the ceiling.

Wally saw some placards by the door on the opposite side of the entry hall, warning employees not to touch the specimen.

Booker searched through some of the lockers for some extra ammunition when he stumbled upon a Voxophone that belonged to a janitor.

Booker hit play and a voice spoke "_I guess even in a restricted area, these crackers need someone to clean floors, hm? Hmph. Those politicians and scientists don't bother 'bout what they say 'round me, because I'm some half-lettered colored boy. But I can tell they scared out of their wits by that thing they got locked upstairs, yessir. They got a tiger by the tail, and they don't know whether to hang on...or run." _

Booker felt a little nervous. It seemed whatever they had locked in the monument, it was very dangerous.

Booker stashed the Voxophone back into the locker and he motioned for Wally to follow.

The two crossed a solid red line and opened the door on the other side of the entry hall.

Booker and Wally trudged down a dimly lit hall, they passed a fuse box which spewed a sparks at them and on the wall ahead of them on a chalkboard that had a chart which recorded a person's growth, beginning from infancy to adulthood. The lights above them flickered on and off. They pressed on.

Booker and Wally passed through what looked like a research laboratory. In the middle of the lab, there was a massive machine, which had hundreds of conduits running from the ceiling to the heart of the machine itself.

The machine had a series of nodes that absorbed large quantities of electrical energy, which came from the conduits.

What its purpose was, Wally didn't know. On a table were three glass jars that were connected to switches.

Booker flipped the switches and saw a light come on in each of them. Inside each of the jar were a variety of items. On the jars were labels with somebody's age. Booker watched as each of the objects vanished in a flash of blue light.

The private investigator frowned and decided to just keep moving.

Wally and Booker circled around the massive machine and found the door out of the research laboratory.

* * *

Quietly, Wally and Booker walked down an empty corridor that had several different doorways leading to different rooms.

In one room, Wally found an operating theater that had an operating table with restraints on them. On a nearby table were blood and hair samples.

Booker found a room where a bunch of black and white photos were being developed. In the last room, there was a projector showing a series of security footages of a young woman.

Booker muttered to Wally "What do you think they were doing to her?"

"I don't know" said Wally "But whatever it is, it can't be good".

Wally and Booker continued on.

The two entered a spacious room where there was a massive machine that had a large node enclosed in glass, absorbing massive amounts of energy. Surrounding the machine were massive speakers, which emitted some otherworldly sounding music and feedback forcing Wally and Booker to shield their ears.

They circled around the machine, carefully trying not to get hit by the bolts of energy striking the machine.

Booker found an elevator thanks to the massive placards warning employees not to touch the specimen by the doors.

They got in the elevator and Booker hit the button, causing the doors to slide close.

The elevator carried them up to the higher floors of the monument.

* * *

After a few minutes of silence, a bell dinged and the doors opened.

Booker and Wally poked their heads out of the door. Outside, they found that the elevator had brought them to what looked like an observation room.

There was a pair of large metal blast doors blocking something with a control switch beneath it. In front of it was a pair of chairs and a table. On the other side of the observation room, there was a door leading elsewhere.

Booker approached the controls and he pulled on the lever.

The metal blast doors slid aside, revealing a window into a small room that had a chalkboard with a complex code written on it.

Wally and Booker shared a confused look then decided to move on.

The two passed through the door on the other side of the observation room and traveled down a short corridor.

At the end of the corridor was a small box labeled "Specimen Tracker".

On the box were several light bulbs, each with its own label like "Bathroom, conservatory, library, dining room, bedroom and dressing room".

The light bulb next to dressing room began to flash and Booker muttered "Dressing room, that's where we need to go".

Wally and Booker left the small corridor and found themselves on scaffolding that circled around a cylindrical structure that was contained within the monument. They followed the scaffolding till they reached the first door, marked "Dressing Room".

On the other side of the door, they found a similar observation room. This time, it only had one chair and an old style film camera.

Booker pulled the lever and the metal blast doors aside, revealing a window into a dressing room. Inside the dressing room, they saw a woman standing there looking at a photo of the Eiffel Tower.

The woman had raven hair, blue eyes and pale features. She wore a white blouse and a blue skirt.

Booker pulled out the pamphlet of Monument Island and he looked up at the woman muttering, "That's her"

"Great" said Wally "Now lets get her out of here".

The woman looked up from the photo and directly at the two. She leaned forward a little and adjusted her hair. The woman sighed and she walked away. The metal blast doors slid back in place and the two hurried after her.

As they raced down the scaffolding, Wally saw the Specimen Tracker indicate that the woman was in the dining room. The speedster pointed to the door marked Dining room and they hurried inside.

In the observation room, Booker threw the switch and the blast doors opened, revealing a dining room.

In the dining room, the walls were covered in sketches and paintings of various subjects. Some sketches were of animals, objects, and people. Wally frowned at a sketch of a young man and a young woman. They looked eerily familiar but he just couldn't place them.

But the most common subject of the collection of artwork was Paris.

There was a completed painting of Paris at night. The city was like a sea of light underneath a starry sky.

Booker saw the woman enter the room. She placed the photo down on a table then she glanced around her, as if she knew she was being observed. The woman turned to the painting and she reached toward it with both hands. She then suddenly moved her arms apart as if she were drawing curtains apart.

To Wally and Booker's astonishment, a tear in the air ripped open and formed a perfectly round window into what looked like modern Paris.

Wally rubbed his eyes and exclaimed "Whoa!"

"What the hell?" said Booker in disbelief.

Through the tear, the woman, Wally and Booker saw Paris at midnight. The tear was placed at a quiet street corner. The woman looked through the tear and she waved at someone.

Booker and Wally saw that she was waving at a young man who was crossing the quiet road. He waved back at her and he approached the tear cautiously.

The woman said something to him and he said something back. She reached out for him and asked him something. He nodded and he extended his hand.

Suddenly she shouted something, the young man spun around then he threw himself out of the way of a fire truck that came hurtling towards the tear at an alarming pace.

The woman, Wally and Booker braced themselves and suddenly the tear snapped shut, just in time before the truck could entered the tear.

Booker and Wally were breathing heavily and they felt their hearts racing. The speedster looked to Booker and said breathlessly "W-what was that?"

"I don't know" replied Booker shaking his head slowly. The private investigator managed to regain some composure and he said "But it's got nothing to do with the job at hand".

The blast doors slid shut and the two left the observation room. Booker and Wally hiked up some stairs that led higher into the monument and they found another observation room.

Wally found a Voxophone lying on the chair by door. He picked it up and pressed play.

The voice of Rosalind spoke "_What makes the girl different? I suspect it has less to do with what she is, and rather more with what she is not. A small part of her remains from where she came. It would seem the universe does not like its peas mixed with its porridge."_

The Voxophone clicked and the recording ended.

Wally didn't know what to make of it but he felt that there was more to the woman and Columbia than he originally thought.

Booker flipped the switch and the blast doors opened, revealing a spacious library. The woman was across from them, staring out a window that gave a magnificent view of Columbia.

Booker glanced around and he found a second door. He nudged Wally and the two hurried through the second door.

* * *

They followed a short corridor to a heavy bulkhead. Booker and Wally opened the bulkhead door where they were greeted by a blast of ice-cold wind.

The two stepped out and they found themselves standing on scaffolding connected to the monument.

To Wally's surprise, they were on the shoulder of the massive monument. The wind whistled loudly in their ears and whipped at them.

Booker followed the scaffolding until he found some stairs. They followed the stairs up to another bulkhead door. Wally and Booker hurried inside and they followed a narrow corridor until they came to a circular shaped room that had a flat, bronze floor with chains running from the ceiling to the floor.

Booker stepped into the room and the floor suddenly tilted. One of the chains snapped and the floor suddenly gave way, causing Booker to fall.

The private investigator fell and he managed to grab hold of a railing. Booker pulled himself up and he found himself staring face to face with the woman. She stared at Booker in shock.

Booker grinned sheepishly "Uh…hello"

The woman screamed and Booker's grip on the railing slipped and he fell all the way to the floor.

Wally looked down at the hole in floor and saw that Booker fell into the library. He saw the woman scream and Booker falling the rest of the way. The speedster wondered how he was going to get down to the library when suddenly the floor gave way, causing Wally to fall.

He landed beside Booker.

The two moaned in pain. Booker glanced at Wally muttering "I was wondering when you were going to drop by"

"Shut up" grumbled Wally as he tried to sit up.

Suddenly a book struck Wally on head. The speedster yelped in pain.

Booker sat up where he caught a book in the face.

The two found themselves being pelted with books. The woman was chucking books at them. As they were being pelted, Booker yelled "Hey! Ow! Knock it off!"

"We're not here to hurt you" added Wally.

The woman picked up a book and she paused. She scowled at them "Who are you?"

"I'm DeWitt" said Booker. He nodded to Wally "He's Wally, we're here to help you".

The private investigator got up and he approached the woman. The woman growled, "Get away" she swung the book in an effort to hit Booker in the head but he caught the book. She tried to pull the book out of his hand but she suddenly stopped.

She looked at Booker then Wally in surprise. The woman asked Booker "Are you…real?"

"Real enough" said Booker.

Suddenly there was a high-pitched whistle emanating from a bronze statue of Comstock that sat in the corner of the library.

The woman's eyes widened in horror "Oh no". She turned to Booker "He's coming…y-you got to go"

"Why?" said Booker looking confused. The whistling began to form a tune and the woman's tone began to grow more panicked "You don't want to be here when he gets here" there was some odd sounds coming from the ceiling and the woman shouted at the ceiling "Just a minute, I'm getting dressed!"

"We came to get you out of here" said Booker.

The woman glanced around in panic "You can't, there's no way out. Trust me, I looked" she yelled at the ceiling "Stop it! You're too impatient, that's enough!"

Booker reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. He held it up so the woman could see "How about this?"

"What about it?" asked the woman

"It's the way out, isn't it?" said Booker.

The woman frowned "What are you…" she trailed off when she looked at the key. She snatched the key out of Booker's hand and she inspected it closely. On the key were two symbols. One was of a bird, the other of a cage.

The woman quickly ran over to a large, heavy door that looked like the door of a bank vault. She inserted the key into a small keyhole on the door and twisted it. The locks clicked open and the doors swung open.

The woman grinned "The way out!" there was a high pitched chirping sound coming from the ceiling and the woman said, "We got to go!".

The trio slipped through the door open doorway and hurried down a long flight of stairs.

There was a loud screech and the entire monument shook.

Wally exclaimed, "What was that!"

"It's his job to keep me here" explained the woman

"We'll see about that" said Booker. There was another screech and the monument shook again, rattling objects loose from the ceiling.

* * *

As they raced down the scaffolding, the woman asked Booker and Wally "Who are you? Why did you come here?" before they could answer, the monument shook causing pieces of the monument's support beams to fall and crash in front of them.

Wally pointed to an open doorway "That way!" the three raced through the doorway and continued on.

The monument quaked some more and suddenly large claw marks appeared on the monument. Support beams fell around them and more claw marks began to appear. They reached the elevator at the first observation room. Booker closed the heavy bulkhead door and he told the woman "call the elevator"

"What?' said the woman.

Booker groaned, "For the love of…push the button!"

The woman pressed the button and the three waited for the elevator to come. The monument continued to quake and the screeches grew louder and louder.

The woman noticed the windows into the dressing room and the room with the chalkboard. She frowned "T-they were watching me? All this time…why?" she looked at Booker and Wally in shock "Why did they put me in here? What am I? What am I!"

Booker replied, "You're the girl who's getting out of this tower".

Suddenly a massive claw burst through the wall and tore away the rubble, revealing a massive mechanical bird. The bird peered inside with its massive, glowing eye. The three jumped back as the bird began pecking its way toward them.

Luckily, the elevator crashed down on the bird's head and forced it out of the way.

Booker yelled, "Lets go!" he jumped through the opening in the wall where the elevator once was and the others followed. They hurried up some stairs.

The woman almost got hit with falling debris and Booker told her "Be careful Elizabeth"

The woman looked at Booker in shock "How do you know my name?" "Not now" grunted Booker.

The trio reached a bulkhead door at the top of the stairs. Elizabeth tried to open it wouldn't budge. Booker tried and the door opened. They found themselves outside again and Elizabeth yelled over the roar of the wind "Where do we go?"

"Up!" yelled Booker.

Wally, Elizabeth and Booker scurried up the monument.

As the ascended to the top of the monument, Wally saw a massive, birdlike shape dart through the clouds.

At the top of the monument, they found themselves at a dead end. Wally, Elizabeth and Booker searched for a way out but suddenly something slammed against the monument, knocking the three off balance. Elizabeth, Booker and Wally felt the monument tilt and the three went sliding over the edge.

Wally heard Elizabeth screaming and he saw Booker grab her hand. Booker held up his skyhook in the other hand. Wally did the same.

Booker and Wally aimed themselves for the Sky-line rails beneath them and they managed to latch onto the rails in time.

The Sky-Line rail carried them away from the monument then it circled around a building then carried them towards a bridge that sat next to the monument.

Wally saw the monument crumbling to pieces. There were large claw marks etched all over the monument, causing large chunks of bronze to crumble away. The rail carried them under the bridge but a massive slab of bronze crashed through the bridge and broke the rail.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth fell off the rails and they fell.

They fell for what seemed like an hour and they landed in cold water.

Booker looked around underwater for Elizabeth and Wally when suddenly the massive mechanical bird crashed in the water.

The bird thrashed around a bit and it saw Booker floating beneath it. The bird tried to peck at Booker but the water was affecting its systems. The glass lens on its eye began to crack and oil began to leak out of its wings. The bird screeched and quickly flapped its wings, forcing it to ascend out of the water.

Booker was a little relieved when he suddenly felt something hit his head and everything went black.

* * *

The Man in Grey watched as Songbird screeched angrily and the massive bird shot out of the water.

Songbird perched itself on a nearby building, trying to dry itself off. Finally, it flew away to be repaired by its maker.

The Man in Grey sighed in disappointment. He thought that the bird would make short work of them but it appears that they will be harder to kill.

He vanished in a flash of light to search for more ways of destroying his targets, before the situation got out of hand.

* * *

Booker's eyes fluttered open and he found himself back in his office. A loud voice growled "_Mr. DeWitt, Mr. DeWitt, are you in there?" _

Booker sat himself up and he looked around the office.

He found that it was exactly as it was when he got the job to go to Columbia.

The voice growled "_Bring us the girl and wipe-" _"_Away your debt"_ finished a new voice.

Booker looked up and saw Elizabeth standing in the corner of the office. Her expression was blank and she spoke in unison with the man at the door "_Wipe away your debt". _

She began humming an eerie melody and the man at the door knocked louder. Booker got to his feet and approached the door.

As Booker approached the door, he saw a man dressed in a grey suit and fedora watching him with icy blue eyes. Standing beside him was a dark haired young man that Booker recognized from one of the sketches Elizabeth had at the Monument and he was the one standing on the other side of the tear before the truck interrupted them.

The two watched as Booker approach the door. Booker reached the door and he opened it, letting in a blinding light.

* * *

The private investigator coughed up seawater and his eyes fluttered open.

Booker found himself staring up at Elizabeth and Wally. The two of them looked relieved.

Booker frowned and asked, "Where am I?"

"Back in the land of the living" answered Elizabeth.

Booker moved to get up and Elizabeth grabbed his hand "Let me help you"

"I'll be fine" said Booker

"You almost drowned" said Elizabeth in concern "You need to-"

"I said I'm fine" grunted Booker "Just…just give me a minute".

Elizabeth frowned at Booker for a moment then she nodded. Suddenly Elizabeth turned her head and her eyes widened "Do you hear that?"

"What?' asked Wally.

Elizabeth breathed, "It's music!"

"Go" said Booker "I'll catch up"

"Ok" said Elizabeth "I-I won't be long, Mr. DeWitt". She got up and she walked away. Booker looked to Wally saying "Keep an eye on her"

Wally nodded and he hurried after Elizabeth, leaving Booker lying there staring up at the sky.

Booker stared up at the sky for several minutes until finally passed out.

* * *

In Paris, the dark haired young man stood there on the sidewalk staring at the road where he saw what looked like a window into another world.

He remembered the woman asking him for help and the fire truck almost running him over. When he looked back, the window and the woman were gone.

"Hey" said a familiar voice.

He turned and saw his friend. She had short dark hair and light eyes. She asked "You ok Jack?"

Jack Ryan nodded "Yeah, I'm fine Eleanor…it's just I thought I saw something"

Eleanor Lamb raised an eyebrow "Really?"

"Yeah" said Jack. He explained what he saw to her and he then said "And the weird part is…she looks familiar"

"She does?" said Eleanor in surprise. Jack nodded.

End of chapter

* * *

**(a/n: What do you think? Tell me what you think. Please review!)**


	5. Ch 5: Battleship Bay

**(a/n: Sorry for the wait. Please enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Ch.5: Battleship Bay

A half hour after he blacked out, Booker awoke and he managed to get to his feet.

The private investigator glanced around at his new surroundings and found that he was standing on a picturesque beach. At first he thought that they fell all the way back to earth but Booker glanced around and saw Columbian structures hovering in the sky close by.

Booker turned and he saw some people sitting on the beach, relaxing and playing.

An impressive boardwalk sat at the far end of the beach with a massive sign saying "_Battleship Bay"._ Lively music played and the scent of food drifted from the boardwalk.

Booker made his way along the beach.

As he passed the various people on the beach, he searched for Wally and Elizabeth but to no avail. He tried asking a few people but they just ignored Booker.

He saw an advertisement about Comstock's personal airship on a nearby stall. The private investigator thought for a moment then muttered, "Airship huh…could be our ticket out of here".

Booker continued on. He passed a few people who shot him disapproving looks. A few ladies watched him intently as he passed, they whispered something about him but he just ignored them and focused on finding Wally and Elizabeth.

He finally found them on the end of a dock dancing with some people.

Elizabeth noticed Booker and she grinned "Isn't this wonderful?" she grabbed his hand "Come dance with me, Mr. DeWitt"

"I don't dance" said Booker "Besides, we need to go"

Elizabeth pouted and asked "Why? What could be better than this?"

Booker thought for a moment and he noticed the airship from the advertisement and said "Well…how 'bout Paris?"

At the mention of Paris, Elizabeth froze and her eyes widened. She breathed "Paris? I-I don't understand, how could we get there?"

Booker pointed to the airship saying casually "Well it's where that airship is goin' but if you want to stay and dance, we can-"

"No!" exclaimed Elizabeth "C'mon! Let's go! Let's go right now!" she pulled Booker by the hand down the dock with Wally hurrying after them.

* * *

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth were walking briskly down the beach to catch up with the airship.

As they traveled down the beach, Elizabeth was drinking in the sights saying, "I can't be believe I'm out!" she glanced back to Booker "Can you smell that? I've never smelled anything like that before"

"Beaches I know don't usually smell like this" said Booker, noting a scent of oil and burning coal in the air.

The trio passed a group of men doing jumping jacks and a pair of children building a sandcastle. They passed through a turnstile and entered what looked like a gift shop.

Booker and Wally saw that the shop had various souvenirs but they also saw posters of Comstock scattered around the shop.

Elizabeth stared at the posters in awe saying, "Mr. DeWitt…Comstock, I've read about him." she glanced to the private investigator "They say he can see the future".

Booker rolled his eyes and muttered "Give a man a little power…he falls in all kinds of love with himself".

Elizabeth frowned saying "I don't like his look". She shivered a little and asked Booker "Can we go now?"

Booker nodded. The three left the shop where they found themselves on the boardwalk.

* * *

On the boardwalk, there were hundreds of stalls vending a wide variety of items. As they carried on through the boardwalk, Elizabeth was hovering around each of the stalls.

Booker glanced to Wally and asked, "What happened while I was out?"

"Well…" said Wally "After Elizabeth pulled you to shore and gave you CPR, she ran off and took in the sights. She then danced with those people for a little bit then that's where you came in"

"Right" said Booker nodding a little.

Elizabeth rushed over to Booker saying "Mr. DeWitt, here! Look at these!" she pulled him along until they came to a man and woman standing in their path.

Booker and Wally blinked in surprise. It was Robert and Rosalind Lutece.

The two held a red velvet pillow with a small broach on each.

"Bird?" offered Robert, holding up his broach

"Or the cage?" offered Rosalind.

Robert frowned "Or perhaps the bird?" "nothing beats the cage" said Rosalind.

"These two again?" said Booker "how do…never mind".

Elizabeth picked up both broaches and held them up so Booker could see "Look at these, they're amazing! Which do you like more? This one?" she held up the bird "or this one" she held up the cage.

Booker shrugged "I don't know"

"C'mon, pick one" urged Elizabeth. She then mumbled "The cage is somber, but there's something special about it. I just can't decide".

Booker sighed and pointed to the bird "That one".

Elizabeth looked at the bird broach then asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah" mumbled Booker.

Elizabeth handed the other broach back to Rosalind saying "Thank you".

Robert bowed and Rosalind curtsied then walked away.

As they left, Booker heard Rosalind mutter, "Surprising, I was expecting the cage" "If you're going to be a sore loser then I shan't be doing this again" said Robert

"Now that's just sophistry" sighed Rosalind.

Elizabeth placed the broach on her collar. Just as Elizabeth was admiring her broach in a mirror, somebody exclaim "Look!"

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth looked and saw a man pointing up at the sky. Other Columbian Citizens looked to where the man was pointing and gasped. Booker looked up and saw in the distance, the angel monument that he and Wally rescued Elizabeth from.

A curtain of clouds drifted aside and everyone got a clear view of the ruined monument. A column of black smoke emerged from the head and there were noticeable chunks missing from the monument itself. Sections of the monument were ablaze.

People were muttering amongst themselves and there was a sense of panic growing in the air.

Booker saw that Elizabeth was staring at the monument with a somber expression. The private investigator asked "Something wrong?"

"It's my home" said Elizabeth.

Wally glanced around and saw that people were on edge. The speedster spoke up "We should get going"

"Right" said Booker.

The trio continued on down the boardwalk, trying not to look guilty or draw attention to themselves. Elizabeth would occasionally look up at the ruined monument as people whispered anxiously about what possibly could've happened. To get her mind off of it, Wally asked about how Battleship bay was built.

Elizabeth smiled and she explained how the beach was built.

After a few minutes, they reached the end of the boardwalk where a station for the airship where police officers were asking people for their identification papers and searching people closely.

Booker nodded to a nearby corridor saying quietly "This way".

Elizabeth, Booker and Wally hurried down the corridor until they came to a locked door. Elizabeth knelt down by the lock.

Booker hissed, "What are you doing?" "What does it look like?" whispered Elizabeth.

The lock clicked and Elizabeth opened the door enough so the three of them could slip through unnoticed.

* * *

Once they were through, Booker asked Elizabeth "Where did you learn to pick locks?"

"Trapped in a tower with nothing but books and spare time? You would be surprised at what I can do".

The three passed through an office and up a flight of stairs. Elizabeth found some money on the floor and gave it to Booker saying that he could use it to buy something from the vending machine at the end of the hall.

Wally saw sitting at the end of the hall was a vending machine of sorts. It had a large human automaton of a man in a suit, who announced fair prices and various items. The voice of the automaton and the carnival music reminded Wally of the Circus of Values vending machines back in Rapture.

Speaking of Rapture, Wally thought of home. The speedster wondered how everyone was doing.

Were the Reach gone for good? Did the league do anything about Lex Luthor and his involvement with the Light? And what about Artemis?

The more Wally thought of home, the more he became homesick. Elizabeth noticed that Wally looked a little sad and she asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah" said Wally "I'm just…a little homesick".

Before Elizabeth could ask Wally more, they heard someone whisper "Hey, you three"

Elizabeth, Booker and Wally turned to the adjacent hall and saw a pale man dressed in a shabby suit. He was covered in cuts, bruises and Band-Aids. The man waved them over. Booker and the others approached him. As they got closer, they saw that he was with a dark skinned woman.

Wally realized that they were the people he freed back at the raffle. They were tied up, dressed in wedding attire and were about to be pelted by the crowd but luckily Booker and Wally helped them escape.

The groom spoke "Back at the lottery…you…without both of you, we couldn't have gotten away"

the bride nodded in agreement "Daisy always said some folks like you two would come along"

"No problem" said Wally.

The groom nodded to the door at the end of the hall saying "Head that way, its your best chance of getting out of here"

"Thanks" said Booker. Booker shook the groom's hand and the three left.

* * *

A few seconds after Booker and the others left, the groom and his wife turned to leave but they found their path blocked by a man in a grey suit in fedora.

The man was pale as a sheet and had no distinguishing features except for his icy blue eyes.

Something about the stranger seemed…inhuman to the two. The Man in Grey approached the couple and he said in an emotionless, business-like tone "Good day"

"Good day" responded the groom.

The Man in Grey reached into his jacket and withdrew a photograph of Wally, Booker and Elizabeth. He held it up so that the couple could see "Have you seen these people?"

"I-I don't think so" stammered the groom. His wife shook her heard "Neither have I".

The Man in Grey narrowed his eyes "Are you sure?"

"Y-yes" said the groom.

The grey suited man returned the photo to his jacket and he held up a hand. He reached forward and grabbed the groom's head saying in monotone, "Don't worry, this will only hurt for a moment".

But before he could probe the groom's mind, there was a soft chirping sound. The Man in Grey frowned and he pulled his hand away. He reached into his jacket and withdrew a small, slim rectangle made of chrome that fit perfectly in his hand.

The Man in Grey held it up to is ear, answering in monotone "Hello?"

There was silence for a few moments. The groom and his wife looked at each other in confusion and worry. For a few silent seconds, the man stood there.

Finally, he asked in a slightly surprised tone, "She did?" there was a quick reply and he asked another question "What did he do?"

Another quick reply and the man then said, "Do nothing, keep me informed of Jack Ryan and Eleanor Lamb's progress, for now. I will investigate this matter further at another time".

He slipped the chrome communication device back into the pocket in his suit jacket. The Man in Grey tipped his hat to the couple saying "I apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you for your cooperation."

He reached into his suit jacket and withdrew a leather pouch that he handed to the groom. The groom cautiously accepted it and peered inside. To his surprise it was filled to he brim with Columbian silver eagles, the currency of Columbia.

The Man in Grey bowed his head saying "Good day".

He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the couple feeling very confused and very frightened.

* * *

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth reached the arcade. They had weaved through a series of halls and backrooms until they got to there.

The arcade was filled with games, people and all sorts of attractions.

Booker lead them through the crowded arcade. They passed various games, a photographer taking pictures of children with a man dressed as George Washington and a group of woman gossiping.

As they walked down a hall, Elizabeth noticed separate bathrooms. She asked Booker "Why is one bathroom for colors and the other for whites?"

"It just is" said Booker.

Elizabeth frowned saying "Seems like an unnecessary complication" "You got that right" muttered Wally.

The trio reached another set of turnstiles where a woman in a grey jumpsuit was inspecting it. When they approached the turnstiles, the woman turned and spotted Elizabeth.

Her eyes widened "Annabelle?"

"Excuse me?" said Elizabeth.

The woman said "Annabelle, its me…Esther!"

Elizabeth shook her head saying, "Oh, I'm not Annabelle. My name is Elizabeth"

"Are you sure?" asked Esther.

Elizabeth nodded "Yes. Do I know you?" Esther said nothing. She stared at Elizabeth for a moment then muttered to herself "Elizabeth…such a beautiful name".

Esther passed through the turnstile then and walked away.

Elizabeth frowned in confusion saying "That was…odd"

"I'll say" said Booker.

* * *

The three passed through the turnstiles and climbed up a long flight of stairs until they reached another station.

Booker went to the ticket booth while Elizabeth and Wally waited by a bench. Booker hit the bell and asked "Three tickets for passage to the First Lady airship"

The ticket seller had his back turned to Booker, talking into a phone quietly "…Yeah, we just got all three apples ready. How should we handle them?"

Booker tapped his foot impatiently saying "In a bit of a rush pal".

The ticket seller glanced over his shoulder to Booker then back to the phone. The man nodded "Mmmm-hmmm, got it" he glanced back at Booker saying, "I'll call you once its finished".

Something didn't sit right with Booker. He got a sinking feeling in his gut that told him that something bad was going to happen.

Booker grumbled "Hey! Can I get some help here?"

The ticket seller hung up and he turned to Booker "Yes sir…sorry for the wait!" he whipped out a knife and he stabbed Booker's hand, pinning it to the counter.

Booker yelled in pain and he heard Elizabeth scream. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a man grab Elizabeth.

Booker ripped the knife out of his hand and he pulled out his gun.

People started screaming and running for the exits. Several men in matching suits withdrew their own weapons and started firing.

Booker managed to shoot down two and Wally knocked out another two his Vigor. One man almost shot Wally in the head from behind but his would be attacker was grabbed from behind and had his neck broken.

Wally spun around and saw a dark haired young man his age standing there. He wore a shabby brown suit, pants and dark shoes. He had black hair and dark eyes.

Wally said "Thanks"

"You're welcome" said the young man in a thick Russian accent.

Booker saw a browned haired young woman set a man on fire with the snap of her fingers. She was obviously using Vigor's.

With their help, Booker and Wally managed to defeat the rest of their attackers within a few long minutes. After everything quieted down, Booker saw that Elizabeth was trying to get the gates on the far side of the station open.

Booker approached her "…Elizabeth"

"Stay away from me!" yelled Elizabeth.

She managed to open the gates just a little then she slipped through and ran. Booker sighed, "That could've gone better".

Suddenly, the gates opened and soldiers flooded into the station. There was a loud bang and a pair of soldiers fell. The private investigator turned and saw the young man who saved Wally holding a shotgun that he swiped from on of their fallen attackers. He cocked it and fired another burst into the on coming wave of soldiers.

Booker did the same while the brown haired young woman and Wally used their Vigor's to lesson the wave.

Once they defeated the soldiers, the raven-haired young man looked to Booker saying, "Go. Find your woman and leave. We will hold them off"

"She's not my woman" mumbled Booker.

Wally shook the young man's hand saying "Thanks…"

"Andrei" said the young man "Andrei Rianofski"

Wally frowned a little. Andrei smiled a little "I know. It is…hard to pronounce. That is why I changed my name when I came to Columbia"

"What is it?" asked Wally.

Andrei answered "Andrew Ryan".

Wally felt his heart stop for a few moments. Andrei, or Andrew, nodded to the young woman with brown hair "And she…is my wife" he waved her over.

She walked over to them carrying a bottle of blue liquid marked "_Salts". _Wally saw that she was about the same age as he and Andrew were. She wore a plain brown dress and shoes.

Andrew Ryan introduced her "May I introduce you to my wife, Brigid Tenenbaum"

Wally almost had a heart attack. Standing there was Jack's adopted mother and she was married to his biological father. The two look much younger than the last time he saw them. Brigid smiled warmly and extended a hand "Hello"

"H-hello" stuttered Wally, shaking her hand.

Before the speedster could ask questions, Booker told Wally "Lets go before Elizabeth gets hurt"

Brigid nodded and handed Wally the bottle of Salts "Here. Drink this. Its for the Vigor's"

Wally accepted the bottle and thanked her. Booker and Wally thanked the two and left. As they left, Wally made a note to ask Jack about his parents and Columbia if he could somehow return home.

* * *

Wally and Booker found Elizabeth at the gondolas. The speedster saw that the gondolas would carry them over a massive waterfall to a higher part of Columbia.

Booker saw Elizabeth trying to activate one of the gondolas. The two boarded the gondola and Booker pulled the lever.

The gondola shuddered and then began to move. Once they were moving, Booker turned to Elizabeth who was staring out a window breathing heavily.

She shook heard slowly "You killed all those people. I can't believe you did that. They're all dead".

Elizabeth turned and glared at Booker "You killed those people!"

"Elizabeth I-" sighed Booker. She shoved him "You're a monster!"

Booker said nothing. He stood there, staring at her for a moment then asked in a soft voice "What did you think was going to happen? Hm?"

"What?" asked Elizabeth, turning to face him.

Booker continued, "Do you understand the expense people went through to lock you up in that tower?" he looked her in the eye and asked "You think people like that are going to let you walk away?"

Elizabeth didn't answer. She stared at Booker pensively.

The private investigator then said "You're an investment and you will not be safe until you are far away from this city".

Elizabeth's expression softened a little and she asked, "What do these people want from me?"

"I don't know" said Booker "But that's the last time anyone's going to get the drop on me".

Elizabeth looked down and saw Booker's bleeding hand. She told him "Let me see your hand" Booker obeyed and she began to bandage up his wound.

Elizabeth looked up at Booker and asked "What happened back there…isn't going to be the last of it, is it?"

"I don't know" answered Booker.

After a short, peaceful gondola ride, the gondola reached the station.

When they disembarked, an ominous sight greeted Booker and the others. A pale man with icy blue eyes, dressed in a grey suit and fedora.

End of chapter.

* * *

**(a/n: So, what do you think? please review!)**


	6. Ch 6: Gravedancers

**(a/n: Phew! An extra long chapter. Please enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Ch.6: Gravedancers

The Man in Grey stood there, staring blankly at Wally, Booker and Elizabeth.

The trio stood there, eyeing the man suspiciously. Wally felt a weird sense of Déjà vu, as if he met the man before.

Suddenly he remembered. In the flashes of visions, he saw the man with icy blue eyes glaring at him and told him something.

After staring at each other for what seemed like forever, the Man in Grey spoke.

His voice was devoid of any emotion and feeling "Hello Mrs. Comstock, Mr. DeWitt and Mr. West or should I say Lutece"

"Who are you?" asked Booker.

The man tilted his head and said in monotone "I have no true name but if it makes it easier for you, you can call me…Friday, John Friday"

"Ok…Friday" said Booker slowly, the name felt weird to him but he went with it. The private investigator asked, "What do you want?"

"It is…complicated" said Friday

"Try Me," said Booker, narrowing his eyes at the man in grey.

Friday collected his thoughts then explained, "There has been a grave error that I am supposed to correct. It involves you three"

"What did we do?" asked Wally.

Friday didn't answer. Instead he only said in an ominous tone "You're all going to die"

"What?" said Booker.

Friday repeated "You're all going to die" he began marching towards them. Booker leveled his gun at the man and fired but oddly enough, the man didn't get hit. It was as if the bullet never even hit him. Friday marched on regardless. Booker fired some more and still John Friday marched on.

To the normal eye, it looked like John was invincible but to Wally, he saw the man in grey catch the bullets at a speed that even he couldn't match.

Friday grabbed Booker by the collar and tossed him aside like nothing. He turned to Wally and tried to grab him but the speedster dodged him and appeared behind him. But to Wally's surprise, the man vanished and Wally felt someone tap his shoulder. He glanced back and saw John.

The man grabbed Wally by the throat. Elizabeth tried to pull the man off of Wally but he kept a firm grip around the speedster's throat.

She demanded, "Why are you doing this? Do you work with those men who attacked us?"

"No" answered Friday. His icy eyes slid over to Elizabeth and she shivered a little.

John said, "I don't work with those men. I am here to correct a grave error. If I do not, then there will be dire consequences".

Booker got up and he yelled at John "Hey!"

John glanced over to Booker and the private investigator threw a punch at him.

But, surprisingly, John caught Booker's punch with just one hand and he cocked his head "Is that all?"

"Nope" wheezed Wally. The speedster vibrated his molecules to the point where he phased through John's fingers. Once Wally was free, he did an uppercut and John was sent stumbling back. He bumped into the rail and Booker used Devil's Kiss to lob a fireball at the man in grey.

John took the fireball in the chest and he fell over the railing.

Elizabeth rushed over to the railing and oddly enough, she saw nothing but open sky beneath. John Friday had vanished.

Wally rubbed his sore throat muttering "Who was that guy?"

"I have no idea" said Booker "But from now on…lets hope we don't run into that guy ever again" "Agreed" said Elizabeth.

The three turned and they hurried away through the gondola station until they came to a turnstile, which lead to the Soldier's Field Welcome center.

* * *

Several minutes after the trio left, John Friday climbed back up over the railing and brushed off some soot from his undamaged grey suit.

The man muttered to no one "My assessment is complete. I must report this".

He adjusted his fedora and he vanished in a flash of blue light.

* * *

Soldier's Field Welcome center was a spacious atrium decorated with large statues of eagles dressed in soldier's uniforms.

In the center of the atrium was a large mechanical eagle with a dozen mechanical children marching around it with a marching tune playing loudly.

Wally, Booker and Elizabeth searched around the atrium for the way towards the airship. As they searched, Wally and Elizabeth found a scale model of the section of Columbia they were in. It had towering buildings, Battleship Bay and a large Ferris wheel.

Elizabeth read the inscription "Soldier's Field, built in 1903 by the hand of our prophet"

"What does a prophet have in a bunch of carnies and carrousels?" muttered Booker, who was inspecting some maps nearby.

Elizabeth studied the inscription and said "It says here that Soldier's Field is themed to acquaint children with national service"

"Huh?" asked Wally

Booker explained "Basically it's one big propaganda poster to rope in willing volunteers for Comstock's army."

They left the small display and they found a gate. Before they could cross through, a glowing sphere by the door exploded in a shower of glass and sparks. The gates snapped shut, blocking their way forward. Elizabeth tried to open the gates but they were sealed up tight.

Elizabeth suggested "We could try forcing it open together"

"Good idea" said Booker.

Booker, Elizabeth and Wally went to the gate. They slipped their fingers into a set of indentions on the gates and they lifted the gate. The gate slid up a little then they forced it open.

On the other side was an enormous poster for a Vigor called Shock Jockey. The poster had a picture of two pylons and a bolt of electricity running between them. Beneath the picture were the words "Shock Jockey".

Elizabeth read the poster's slogan "Shock Jockey, who needs the power company? Exclusively from Fink Industries"

"Some fools alternative to electricity" said Booker.

"Doesn't seem to work very well" agreed Elizabeth.

Wally recognized the name Fink. The man who hid them from the soldiers said that a man named Fink ran the raffle that almost got that couple killed. If Wally ever found that Fink guy, the speedster will be giving him a piece of his mind.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth continued on.

* * *

They exited the welcome center and they passed under a neon sign saying "_Welcome to Soldier's Field". _

The trio found themselves in the middle of a quiet boardwalk that had a number of shops, attractions and apartments around.

Suddenly there was a deafening roar of engines and the ground beneath their feet shook.

Booker looked up and saw the airship they were looking for, rumbling overhead. Booker nudged Wally and Elizabeth "There it is, the _First Lady_. Looks like its heading for the dock"

"And that will take us to Paris?" said Elizabeth hopefully.

Booker hesitated for a moment then he ordered "Just stay close"

"Yes Mr. DeWitt" said Elizabeth

"Call me Booker" said Booker.

Elizabeth blinked and she stuttered a little "A-all right…Booker".

As they made their way through the boardwalk, Wally noticed that the sun was down and the sky had turned black. The speedster had completely lost track of time. It was all thanks to the constant fighting and chasing through Columbia. Even thought it had been only a day, it felt like years since he woke up on that bench.

Wally's thoughts went to the man who called himself John Friday. Who was he? How was he able to move that quickly? And what was this 'error' he kept going on about? Whatever it was, it probably wasn't good for Wally, Booker or Elizabeth.

The three drew closer to the dock, Wally and the others passed a small stage where puppeteers were putting on a show for a large crowd of children.

Elizabeth grinned, "Look! Duke and Dimwit" she nodded up at the puppets on the stage.

"Who?" said Booker and Wally in unison.

Elizabeth looked at them as if they were joking, "Come on, you know…'Remember kids, don't be a dimwit'" the two just stared at her blankly.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow "How can you not know that?"

"Must be something particular to Columbia" said Booker.

Elizabeth sighed wistfully "Oh I loved those stories when I was a kid. But they are…they are a little off putting".

Wally was going to ask about why they were off putting but considering what he had just seen in Columbia over the past few hours, it probably something disturbing or offensive or both.

The three continued on, carefully trying not to disturb the children.

* * *

Booker saw the First Lady's Aerodrome drawing near.

Elizabeth asked him "Do you know why you were hired to come get me?"

"I imagine that they were interested in meeting you" answered Booker. He smiled a little "No doubt for lock picking lessons".

Elizabeth chuckled a little and she asked "But…why you?"

Booker shrugged "I never even heard of this place before I got here".

Elizabeth's eyebrows arched "huh, I assumed that Columbia was common knowledge below"

"I guess I got a bit behind current events" joked Booker. The trio passed a gift shop that sold a wide variety of toys and knick-knacks.

They climbed a set of stairs that led up to a Sky Line rail, which led to the Aerodrome. Unfortunately, it was closed down. Booker found a switch next to a Shock Jockey node, which was an electrode enclosed in a sphere of glass. Booker pulled the switch and suddenly the electrode exploded in a shower of sparks and glass, like the sphere at the welcome center.

Elizabeth frowned "It looks like this runs exclusively on Shock Jockey"

"Of course it does" grumbled Booker.

He looked at the railing saying, "Where in the hell are we going to find it?"

Wally spotted an advertisement for Shock Jockey and he pointed to it saying "Look at this! 'Come see the future at the hall of heroes'"

"Huh, that's convenient" said Booker.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth turned and they went to find the Hall of Heroes.

As they searched the boardwalk, a woman's voice spoke over a loudspeaker "_Attention, the False Shepherd and the Lost Son are loose in the streets of Columbia" _

"Crap" muttered Booker.

The woman continued, "_Will you suffer the shame of allowing your wives and daughters to fall prey to their machinations?" _

"We heard all this before" muttered Wally.

Wally and Booker quickly hid their faces as they darted past a pair of soldiers who were questioning an old couple. When they reached an elevator that lead to the Hall of Heroes, they found a sign pasted over the Shock Jockey advertisement poster that read, "_Hall of Heroes closed until further notice". _

Booker smiled "At least there won't be a line to get in".

Booker picked the lock on the front doors and the trio slipped inside.

* * *

On the other side of the door, they found an elevator. The three stepped into the elevator and Booker hit the button.

The elevator began to move upward and but suddenly it came to a lurching halt, causing the light inside the elevator to flicker and die. A red emergency light came on, illuminating the elevator enough so the three occupants could see.

Booker groaned, "Damn it"

"Something wrong?" asked Elizabeth.

Booker sighed, "nothing I can't fix".

Booker went to the fuse box and opened it. He began to search for the problem when he heard a soft buzzing sound.

Elizabeth exclaimed, "Agh, it's a bee! I hate those things!" "Ah jeez…just kill it" said Booker as he began repairing some of the damaged parts

"But it'll sting me" whined Elizabeth

"Elizabeth" said Booker. Wally stood in the corner of the elevator watching the exchange, smiling a little.

Elizabeth sighed in annoyance saying, "I have a better idea". She turned around and she grabbed thin air and she began opening another tear, like in the tower.

Booker turned around and he asked "W-what are you doing?"

"Opening a tear" answered Elizabeth. She opened widened the tear until it covered half of the elevator. Through the tear, was a room with an open window. Outside the window was a pot of flowers, hanging from a metal ring. Down below was a bustling city street.

Booker and Wally stared in shock at the view.

After staring in awe at the tear, Booker asked, "What is that?"

"It's a tear" answered Elizabeth proudly "I use to open them all the time at my tower"

"But what is a tear?" asked Booker.

Elizabeth explained, "It's a-a window. A window to another world"

"Cool" breathed Wally.

Elizabeth shrugged "Most of the time, they're dull as dishwater: a different colored towel or tea instead of coffee" she turned to the window "But sometimes, I see something amazing…and I pull it through" she plucked a flower from the pot that hung outside the window.

She turned and showed it to Booker and Wally. Booker's eyes widened in astonishment "Good God…I don't suppose you've got an airship in there?"

Elizabeth smiled "I don't think so" suddenly they heard something.

The three turned to the window and they saw a shape move. Elizabeth moved closer to the window and saw that outside the street was empty. The people all vanished. Suddenly a floating sphere made of a shiny chrome material appeared outside the window, buzzing loudly like an angry bee.

Booker yelled, "Close it! Close it!"

"I'm trying!" cried Elizabeth as she tried to close the tear. The sphere glowed bright blue and it launched a bolt of blue energy at them.

But luckily Elizabeth was able to close the tear in time.

The three were breathing heavily and the elevator's lights flickered back on, indicating that the elevator was in motion again.

When the elevator came to a halt, the doors slid open. Booker, Wally and Elizabeth disembarked the elevator.

Booker looked to Elizabeth and said "I don't really understand what I saw back there, but it sure as hell looks like a shortcut to getting us all killed"

"But I can help" tried Elizabeth but Booker shook his head "I can handle what comes our why, trust me".

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and she crossed her arms muttering "Have it your way I suppose".

Booker, Wall and Elizabeth pressed on through a visitor's center until they exited through an open gate.

* * *

Ahead of them was a gondola station that had a rail to the Hall of Heroes. However, between the trio and the way to the hall was a squad of heavily armed, angry looking soldiers.

The squad was gathered around near the ticket offices where a man was giving a speech. "…And when we strike, we teach Cornelius Slate a lesson!"

The man all looked around each other muttering something.

The leader continued, "Now I know you've all come to think of Slate as a war hero…but let me be abundantly clear, Cornelius Slate is no hero!"

Booker moved to find cover but accidentally stepped on a creaky step, which made all the soldiers turn and face the three.

Booker muttered, "This is just not my day".

* * *

Booker and Wally managed to fight off the soldiers. Booker did most of the fighting while Wally helped Elizabeth avoid the hail of gunfire.

When the last of the soldiers were killed, Booker turned to Elizabeth and said, "Ok, I guess your tears would come in handy next time we're in a scrape"

"Well there has to be one near by" explained Elizabeth "I can't exactly pull them out of thin air".

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth searched through the ticket offices that the soldiers were gathered around.

As they searched, Elizabeth asked Wally and Booker, "Do you know the man they were talking about, the man named Slate?"

"I do" said Booker "seems to me that he still has a knack for making enemies".

Elizabeth searched through some things in the ticket office when she stumbled upon a code book. She showed it Wally and Booker.

Elizabeth inspected it "It's a code book for a cipher."

"What's the cipher for?" asked Wally.

Elizabeth inspected the book a little further then answered "A secret message from the Vox Populi"

"Secret code?" said Booker.

Elizabeth nodded and said, "The cipher should be around somewhere".

The three left the ticket offices and they began searching through a bar called "The Fellow Traveler".

When they entered the bar, Wally, Booker and Elizabeth saw a number of bloodstained corpses scattered around the bar.

Wally frowned "What happened here?" "Looks like those soldiers killed everyone" muttered Booker.

As they searched the bar, the three heard a woman speaking over the radio.

The woman spoke in a bitter tone "_Who is this prophet? Who is this fraud, this charlatan, this salesman of snake oil? What you saw today, brothers and sisters, was just the beginning" _

"Who is this lady?" asked Wally. Booker and Elizabeth shrugged.

The woman continued, "_Zachary Comstock will hear our voice! His temples shall burn, his idols of gold shall melt and run rivulets through the streets of Columbia!"_

Booker switched off the radio and continued searching the bar.

There were more bodies in the back rooms. Most of the corpses were dressed in civilian clothes some were soldiers but both were armed enough to fight a small war.

Booker and Elizabeth found a Voxophone in one of the back rooms.

Booker pressed play and a man's voice spoke "_Got a tip there were contraband guns hidden in the Fellow Traveler. Didn't find 'em, but - funny thing - we found some old uniforms under the floorboards from the war. Took guesses as to why they were there but—" _there was a sound that sounded like a door being opened.

The man asked "_Who's there? You're Slate, right? Sir? Put the guns down!" _suddenly there were gunshots and screams.

The gunshots and screams lasted only a minute then ended. A new voice came on, also a man.

The man spoke "_Did you hear that, Comstock? That is the sound you have never heard - the sound of a soldier's end. Come to your 'Hall of Heroes.' Prove me a liar." _The Voxophone recording ended.

Booker realized that the bar was used by the Vox Populi but Comstock's men found out and killed everyone. The private investigator decided that they should move on. The three quickly vacated the bar.

* * *

Wally, Booker and Elizabeth went to the gondola station and Booker flipped a switch, activating the Sky rails. Wally went first and used his sky hook.

Booker and Elizabeth went followed after the speedster together.

When they reached the Hall of Heroes Plaza, Elizabeth asked Booker "When can I get my own Sky hook?"

"Maybe when your older" said Booker. Elizabeth pouted.

The Hall of Heroes was a tall building that had a massive bronze statue of an angel in front. As the three made their way to the front door, a bullet whizzed over Booker's head and struck a nearby bench. The three got down and Booker moved to return fire but the shooter was gone.

Elizabeth muttered, "I think we found your friend Slate"

"Lets just find that Shock Jockey and lets get out of here" said Booker.

* * *

Inside the Hall of Heroes, the lobby was dimly illuminated by a few flickering bulbs. Scattered about were a few more corpses that had bullet wounds. Standing on a pedestal was a large, mechanical automaton of George Washington.

When Booker, Elizabeth and Wally entered, the automaton came to life and spoke "_Too rare is the man who takes a stand for God and sweetest fatherland, but here's the place where we revere the heroes of our city dear!"_ the automaton stopped and became still as a statue.

The trio circled around the automaton and walked down a corridor that was littered with blood, bullet holes and corpses.

Wally started feeling queasy with the sight of all the blood and corpses. Booker found a door and decided that they should investigate.

Elizabeth and Wally found some flashlights at a vandalized ticket booth.

The three entered through the door and found themselves in a dark, spacious room. Using the flashlights they found, Elizabeth and Wally switched on their flashlights and the soft light revealed a towering statue of Comstock.

Elizabeth saw a plaque read aloud "_Our Prophet, Father Comstock, commander of the 7__th__ cavalry"_

"That man did not lead the 7th cavalry" said Booker

"Why not?" asked Wally.

Booker shook his head "I was in the cavalry and I don't even remember the man".

Suddenly a loud speaker screeched on and a male voice spoke "_Corporal DeWitt proved his worth on the field that day"_

Booker's eyes widened "well I'll be…" he raised his voice "Slate? Is that you?" Booker's voice echoed about.

Suddenly a spot light flickered on and shone down on the three. Slate hissed "_You've always been different, haven't you Booker? You crave no glory"_

"Look I see that your caught up in some kind of jam here" said Booker "If you could see it fit to let us through to where they keep the Shock Jockey, then we'll-" but Slate interrupted "_That tin soldier, Comstock, wants my boys dead. We won't die at his hands!"_

Wally murmured, "I've got a bad feeling about this".

Slate boomed, "_All my men have left is a choice, die at the hands of a tin soldier or at the hands of a real one!" _suddenly a door on the other side of the room burst open and a group of soldiers poured in.

The soldiers were dressed differently from the soldiers that Wally had encountered. Their uniforms looked…older and were a light blue unlike the modern soldier's uniform that was plain grey. Booker, Wally and Elizabeth took cover behind the statue of Comstock.

The soldiers and Booker exchanged fire. Booker's gun clicked and he grunted "Out of ammo!"

"Here!" said Elizabeth. She tossed him a clip and he reloaded. Booker thanked her and he continued firing.

Wally used his Vigor to slam a few men into a wall.

Once the soldiers were defeated, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth rushed out of the room through the door that Slate's soldiers entered from.

They found themselves in a room that had a destroyed statue. There was a plaque that had a name on it. The name was Cornelius Slate.

Slate returned over the loudspeaker. He spoke in an accusing tone "_You see!? You see you're a killer, Booker! Like it or not!" _

_"_Just give us the Shock Jockey!" demanded Booker. But Slate didn't answer.

Instead he growled, "_If you want the Vigor, Booker, you will give my men a soldier's death. They wait for you at Wounded Knee and Peking"._

There was a screech of a microphone and then there was silence.

Wally muttered, "It seems like somebody's off their rocker". Booker nodded in agreement.

* * *

The trio continued on and they found themselves in a circular atrium that had several entryways to several different exhibits.

In the center of the atrium was a circular pillar with a timeline of Columbia's history. Booker nodded to the entryway for the Peking Exhibit.

The three passed through an exhibit of a stereotypical Chinese village with people leering and brandishing weapons at them as they passed. The temperature slowly declined and fake snow drifted down on them.

Elizabeth looked around the exhibit in shock, "What is this?"

"It's the Boxer Rebellion" answered Booker grimly.

Elizabeth asked, "What happened there?"

"_At Peking?" _said Slate over the speakerphones "_It was my hand that put that city to the torch"_ they passed through a doorway and a rude caricature of a Chinese soldier popped up from behind cover screaming. Elizabeth and Wally jumped in surprise.

Slate continued speaking "_Of course, that's not how Comstock tells it". _

The three passed a statue of a Chinese Boxer brutally beheading a defenseless man. Another cutout of a caricature popped out. Then suddenly, one of Slate's men popped out as well but Booker shot him in the throat. The man gurgled blood and he collapsed and landed in a pile of fake snow.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth continued.

They crossed a small bridge and passed a scene where thousands of angry Boxer's laying waste to everything in their path. On the other side of the bridge was a door. On the other side of the door was another automaton of George Washington.

When they passed it, the automaton came to life and spoke dramatically "_Twas yellow skin and slanted eyes that had betrayed us with their lies, until they crossed the righteous path of our Prophet's holy wrath" _.

The three continued on and found another door. Through that door was a spacious room filled with cardboard soldiers fighting a brutal war in the snow. In the center was a spotlight that shone down on a destroyed marble statue.

Elizabeth said, "I read about this. Comstock led Columbia's troops to Peking and-"

"_Comstock wasn't there!" _bellowed Slate, his voice was filled with rage "_The Boxers took my eye and thirty of my friends! Is there even a stone to mark their sacrifice?!" _

Wally frowned. He wasn't exactly an expert on history but he knew that none of this happened. Columbia never interfered with the Boxer Rebellion. Columbia never even existed as far as history was concerned. But, the floating city was indeed real. Jack's mother and father were there, Wally was there and there were things that lined up with the history Wally knew about.

The speedster couldn't help feel that something was wrong. He then thought of John Friday, the man in grey. Maybe this was the error he was talking about.

Before he could ponder any further, more of Slate's men emerged from hiding.

Some emerged from behind the cardboard cut outs, others appeared behind from fake house and fake rocks.

* * *

Once the battle was over and once the last soldier had fallen, Slate barked, "_You see young miss? You see the man Comstock wishes he were? A real soldier!"_

"I don't wanna do this Slate" said Booker "Just give us what we need"

"_I will" _said Slate "_After you do the same for me. Come and look for me amongst the Ghost Dancers"_.

Once the loudspeakers went silent, Elizabeth asked, "Who are the Ghost Dancers?"

"Wounded Knee" answered Booker "He means us to head to the other display".

As they made their way to the Wounded Knee exhibit, Slate spoke "_Can you hear Comstock's tin soldiers coming to silence us? But we are the true patriots, the history that doesn't fit in their books". _

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth returned to the atrium and they crossed over into the Wounded Knee exhibit.

The three walked through dimly illuminated grassland where glowing red eyes watched as they walked.

Slate hissed, "_The tin soldiers take credit for the deeds of the real ones" _the trio passed some burning tents and a cardboard cutout of a demonized warrior welding a hatchet.

Slate continued "_Now your companion, young lady and young lad…he wrapped himself in glory on December 23, eighteen hundred and ninety." _

As the three trudged by a display of two native warriors beheading a woman, Elizabeth and Wally asked Booker, "What does he mean?"

Booker answered bluntly "You don't wanna know".

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth continued on in silence. They passed more horrific and overly dramatized displays of the massacre, portraying the native people in a negative light and Comstock in a very positive one.

The trio found another automaton and they just walked right past it without listening to the recording. Through the door on the other end of the automaton room, was a spacious room where cardboard cutouts reenacted the so called battle.

Elizabeth saw Booker looking disgusted at the display. Finally, Elizabeth spoke "You were there…weren't you? I can see it on your face"

"You were?" said Wally in surprise.

Slate joined in "_Tell them Booker! Tell them how we strode that battlefield like the heroes of Sparta!" _Booker said nothing.

They heard Slate shiver and say "_I still hear the screams…does Comstock?"_

Suddenly soldiers began to emerge from hiding, brandishing weapons ranging from pistols to rifles.

Slate crowed, "_Here's the soldier I spoke of! The kind of man Comstock pretends to be. See if I told you true!" _

Elizabeth took cover behind some rocks and Wally and Booker engaged the soldiers.

* * *

Using a combination of Vigor's and bullets, the two managed to defeat Slate's soldiers. The soldier's flooded in, shouting battle cries and attacking head on without regard to their own safety.

As Booker looked about the ruined exhibit hall at the bodies of the slain and wounded soldiers, Slate consoled him saying, "_You did them a favor Booker, you let them die like men". _

Wally shook his head muttering, "This guy is a lunatic".

Booker growled, "I didn't ask for this! I had no quarrel with these men!" "_Heroes never ask" _stated Slate calmly.

Booker scowled "I never claimed to be no hero"

"_Then what are you?" _asked Slate "_If you take away all the parts of Booker DeWitt you tried to erase, what's left?" _

Booker didn't answer. Slate then said "_Come back to the rotunda, its almost over". _

As Booker and the others doubled back through the destroyed, battle-scarred exhibit, Elizabeth asked, "What did he mean? What are you trying to erase?"

"Now that you're out of yours, you might realize that cages have their advantages" replied Booker.

Elizabeth shook her head "A choice is better than none, Mr. DeWitt, No matter the outcome"

"Really?" asked Booker, glancing over to Elizabeth "What if you woke up one morning and you didn't like what you chose?"

Elizabeth tried to answer but she was interrupted when Slate spoke "_I have what you need. You'll find me past the First Lady memorial"._

* * *

When the returned to the atrium, they went through the door marked "First Lady Memorial".

On the other side of the door was a spacious room illuminated by thousands of candles. Hanging on the walls were large paintings of a woman with raven hair, pale skin and dark eyes. She wore a dark blue dress and looked down on the trio almost judgmentally.

Slate spoke "_You've seen what Comstock has done to my history, now see how he's rewritten his own". _

On the other side of the room was a set of stairs that led down into another spacious room. In that spacious room that had a peaceful atmosphere complete with a painting of a beautiful sunset, a fountain, a rose bush and Mozart's Requiem Mass playing loudly over some large speakers.

Elizabeth saw a marble statue of the woman from the painting. The woman was cradling an infant in her arms, looking happy with Comstock standing right there beside her.

Elizabeth read the plaque "The seed of the Prophet lay in the womb of our Lady for a single week" she looked to Wally and Booker "Comstock had a child? But, the books I read said he never had children"

"That's quite an omission" said Booker "Can't imagine it being on accident".

The trio passed another room where a marble statue of Comstock, his wife and their child was.

Comstock's wife was on her knees in prayer with a plaque that read "But the child took ill and our Lady prayed for the prophet's heir, day and night".

Elizabeth's eyes widened "That's my tower!" Wally and Booker turned and saw a scale model of the Monument standing a distance away from Comstock.

A recording of Comstock's voice played "_While Daisy Fitzroy has murdered my beloved, she will not have the child! She shall not come betwixt her and prophecy!"_

Booker and Wally stared in shock at the statue.

Comstock's statue boomed, "_The seed of the Prophet shall sit the throne and drown in flame the mountains of man!"_

Elizabeth breathed "Am…am...I-?"

"Comstock's daughter" muttered Booker, finishing Elizabeth's thought.

Elizabeth shook her head "No…I can't!" "He wants you to follow in his footsteps" said Booker.

Wally shook his head mumbling "Déjà vu". He instantly thought of Sofia Lamb and Andrew Ryan.

Elizabeth frowned "Well I want a puppy but that doesn't mean I'm going to get one".

The three quickly left the room and they exited the memorial of the First Lady.

* * *

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth exited the Hall of Heroes and found themselves in a spacious courtyard. Blocking their path was a large iron gate.

Elizabeth slipped through the bars and she said to Booker "Let me try and help you get through the gates". She glanced around for a few moments and then suddenly a freight hook appeared behind her.

Booker blinked in surprise "How?" "It was a tear" said Elizabeth "Something I can bring into this world"

"Well that's convenient" observed Wally

"Like I said, it's a form of wish fulfillment" said Elizabeth.

Booker used the hook to hop over the gate while Wally vibrated his molecules and he phased right through the bars.

The trio continued on through the courtyard until they came to the gift shop. The gift shop was pitch black and was silent as a grave. Elizabeth shined her flashlight around the gift shop and found that all the items were still on their shelves. There was no sign of looting or vandalism.

Suddenly, a spotlight flickered on and shone down on a the automaton which had a sign that read "Motorized Patriot".

The motorized patriot spoke "_to the sky on bended knee and saw with holy prophecy, an Eden floating in the mist, forsworn by Heaven kissed". _

Suddenly there was a flash of light and a second motorized patriot appeared and started reciting the same lines. Then a third, and a fourth. There were flashes of lights all over the shop and items like dusty barrels filled with broken Salt's bottles, destroyed gun turrets and ruined statues appeared.

Slate spoke as the items kept appearing and disappearing "_Tin men, that's what Comstock will turn us into! Wires and gears to replace heads and hearts!"_

"Booker!" cried Elizabeth. Booker spun around and a motorized patriot burst through the door on the far side of the store, carrying a mini-gun.

The motorized patriot open fired. Elizabeth and Wally took cover behind the clerk's counter. Booker threw himself behind a display case.

As the automaton fired on Booker, Elizabeth yelled, "Aim for the gears!"

Booker took aim and he fired several shots into the automaton's throat. The bullets ripped through the gears and wires, causing the head to fly off.

Once the head was gone, the automaton dropped to its knees and crumpled to the ground.

Slate cried, sounding vindicated "_You see Booker? Maybe you're the man I remember-maybe not. It doesn't matter. Comstock took our stories and scrubbed away our soul." _

Slate sighed, "_Now…he's coming for me and when I'm gone, all that will be left is the lie" _

"Just give us what we came for!" yelled Booker. Slate said nothing.

Booker growled and kicked the fallen motorized patriot and stomped off towards the storage rooms.

Wally shook his head muttering "This town just keeps getting weirder and weirder".

* * *

Booker found a several crates of Shock Jockey Vigor's but unfortunately, there were no bottles left. Slate had gotten there first.

Booker returned to the gift shop and told Elizabeth and Wally.

Out of the corner of his eye, Booker notice a shadow dart past them and run through the door the motorized patriot entered through.

Elizabeth exclaimed "It's Slate!" "Lets go!" said Wally.

The three gave chase and they followed Slate out into another courtyard.

Hovering high above the courtyard was a trio of airships. Booker muttered "Comstock's airships, they're here for Slate".

On the other side of the courtyard, they saw Slate glaring up at the airships. He spun around to face Booker and the others.

Slate howled madly "It was Slate who killed for his country at Wounded Knee! It was Slate who stormed the gates at Peking! Slate!"

"Come on Slate" pleaded Booker.

Slate shook his head "Comstock and his tin men are coming Booker. But our lives won't satisfy him, oh no" Slate laughed bitterly and said "He won't rest until we're all turned into tin! And I won't let him!" he looked up at the airships and screamed, "He took my past but that's all he's getting from me!"

"Just give us the Vigor" pleaded Booker "You don't need to do this!" Slate didn't listen.

Instead, he yelled, "Here ya go boys! A soldier's death awaits!"

The remaining number of Slate's troops arrived and they attacked. Booker and Wally fought them. One by one, the soldiers fell as the airships watched from overhead.

* * *

Aboard the lead airship, a technician asked his superior officer "General, what are your orders?"

"Hold the present course" ordered the general "We wait and watch"

The technician nodded "Yes sir". The General put his arms behind his back and he observed the battle closely.

* * *

With the last of Slate's men defeated, Slate screamed at Booker "You're not the Booker DeWitt I remember! Tin man! Tin Man!"

Slate hurled a bolt of electricity down at Elizabeth but Wally used his speed to move her out of the way. Booker snarled and he fired a shot at Slate.

The bullet struck the soldier in the shoulder. Slate cussed and he fled down a nearby corridor.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth sprinted after him. The three followed a small blood trail through a long corridor until they found Slate, sitting up against a fountain that had an stone angel pouring water out of a vase.

Wally saw that Slate was an elderly man. He was bald, had a thick white beard, a walrus mustache, an eye patch over on eye, long jagged scars on his face and he wore the old Columbian uniform like the rest of his men.

Slate's shoulder was bleeding profusely. Slate looked up and saw Booker.

The old soldier winced in pain and he held out a pistol to Booker saying "You're not done yet soldier, eat everything you have on your plate. Finish it".

Booker looked at the pistol then to Slate.

For a moment, Booker considered killing Slate, putting the old man out of his misery. But, something told him that he just couldn't. Finally, Booker shook his head saying "I can't".

Slate smiled weakly "You're a tin man now, a tin man." Slate's breathing became ragged and his eye slowly closed.

Booker searched through Slate's pockets and he found the Shock Jockey bottle. It was purple with a bronze lightning bolt shaped cork on top.

Booker took a sip and he passed it on to Wally. Once they were finished drinking the Vigor, Elizabeth, Booker and Wally doubled back through the Hall of Heroes.

* * *

As they journeyed back to the gondola station outside the Hall of Heroes, Elizabeth spoke "You spared him"

"It was no mercy" said Booker "Comstock's men would surely take him"

"Do you ever get used to it?" asked Elizabeth "The killing?"

"Faster than you can imagine" muttered Booker.

* * *

On the command airship, Zachary Comstock entered the bridge. All the soldiers and technicians bowed their heads in reverence to their leader then went back to work.

The General saluted Comstock "Sir"

"General" said Comstock returning the salute. The leader of Columbia looked down at the wounded Slate who was on his knees, bound from head to foot in ropes. Zachary Comstock knelt down and met Slate's eyelevel saying "Do you have anything to say for yourself Slate?"

Slate said nothing. He glared at Comstock and he spat in the man's face.

Comstock wiped away the spit with a hankie. He stood and he kicked Slate in the face, knocking the wounded soldier over.

The leader of Columbia turned to a pair of soldiers and ordered them to take Slate away.

As they dragged the wounded veteran, Comstock turned to the General saying "Let me if he talks, will you Vandal?"

"I will sir" said General Vandal Savage. He saluted Comstock and Comstock strolled out of the airship's bridge.

End of Chapter.

* * *

**(A/n: so, what do you think? Please review!)**


	7. Ch 7: Hell Above

**(a/n: Phew, another long chapter! please enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Ch.7: Hell Above

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth returned to the boardwalk.

They left the Hall of Heroes and encountered a few soldiers but they managed to sneak past them. However, the automaton by the elevator that led down to the boardwalk came to life and attack shouting "For the glory of Columbia!" Wally and Booker destroyed it using their Shock Jockey Vigor.

As they walked to the rail that led to the aerodrome, Booker said "I don't think I understand how those…tears work"

"I thought of them as doors" said Elizabeth "When I was younger, I didn't just open the ones I found" her voice went softer and she frowned "I think I remember making them"

"Making them?" said Booker in surprise.

Elizabeth nodded "I could go anywhere I wanted but I always wanted to come back" "To what?" asked Wally.

Elizabeth shrugged "I don't know, my family?" Wally and Booker stared at Elizabeth in amazement.

Booker spoke "How do you do that…whatever it is?" "You know how I said I had plenty of time to read?" said Elizabeth.

Booker and Wally nodded. Elizabeth said, "Well I tried to figure it out. I read literature on physics and other such things"

"Yeah and what did that teach?" asked Booker.

Elizabeth replied, "That there's a world of difference between what we can see and what is".

Finally they arrived at the rail station and Booker used his Vigor to power the generator. A gondola started to approach the station.

Suddenly, Comstock's voice boomed, "_He will abandon you my sweet Elizabeth. Once he has what he needs, he will leave you alone. What else can you expect from a liar and killer of women?"_

"Comstock" muttered Booker.

Elizabeth looked up to the sky and tried to find the source of the voice but found nothing but open sky. Elizabeth spoke "Father…prophet…whomever you are, I'm leaving and there's naught you can do to stop me"

"_Oh sweet child…that's where you're wrong" _said Comstock.

The three heard the rumbling of airships and they saw three of them emerge from behind a cloud. One of them moved into position and it fired off a rocket.

Booker, Elizabeth and Wally took cover behind a ticket booth.

The rocket soared over them and struck a stand that sold cotton candy, setting it ablaze.

Booker got up and he chucked a fireball at the nearest airship. The fireball bounced off the steel hull and the airship retaliated with a rocket, which destroyed a nearby shop.

Wally saw squads of soldier's approaching from behind. He fired a few warning shots, causing them to scatter and take cover.

Pretty soon, Wally, Elizabeth and Booker were pinned down on both sides by airships and soldiers.

Wally managed to knock back some soldiers with his Bucking Bronco and Shock Jockey. He glanced over to Booker saying, "I think we can take them"

"Motorized Patriot!" exclaimed Elizabeth pointing off in the direction of a ruined shop.

From out of the destroyed shop, a Motorized Patriot stomped out of the shattered window carrying a mini-gun.

Booker sighed and he glanced to Wally "You were saying?"

* * *

As the battle raged on, General Vandal Savage watched from above.

He watched the intruder, Booker DeWitt gun down one of his soldier's and set another on fire. The general could easily recognize that he was a soldier, a pretty good one who could handle the stress of a battle.

Hiding behind cover was Comstock's daughter, Elizabeth. She had grown into quite an attractive and resourceful young woman.

The general noticed something in the corner of his eye. He looked and saw a ginger haired young man zip around the boardwalk at an astonishing speed. Vandal's eyes widened a little. He wasn't aware that Fink had created a Vigor that granted accelerated speed.

When the young man finally was able to hold still, Vandal used a pair of binoculars to get a better look at the young man.

The general had no clue who the boy was but something about him was very familiar. If Fink was right and if the paper's he found in the park were correct, they could be dealing with the offspring of Rosalind Lutece, the smartest woman in all of Columbia.

Although Vandal could not recall that Rosalind had any children or had any indication of being with child when he last saw her, it was the only logical explanation he could think of.

And yet…something about the redhead was very, very familiar but the general could not place where he saw the boy.

The General decided to consult his associates when he had some time to himself.

* * *

When the gondola arrived, Booker barked at Elizabeth and Wally "Go!" the two obeyed.

They made a break for the gondola while Booker provided cover fire. He scooped up a rocket launcher from a fallen soldier and he fired it at two of the airships. The rocket struck the hull of one the airships while the other missed.

The damaged airship quickly lost altitude and crashed into the second and the two knocked into the third.

Booker hopped on to the gondola and Wally threw the switch. The gondola quickly left the station and began moving to the First Lady aerodrome.

As the gondola glided up the rail to the aerodrome, Elizabeth looked to Booker and said hesitantly "When you were unconscious at the beach…you kept repeating a woman's name"

"Anna" said Wally

"I don't want to talk about it" grunted Booker.

Elizabeth blinked and she mumbled "I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried."

There was an awkward silence between the three until Elizabeth changed the subject "Where are you from, Mr. DeWitt?"

"New York" answered Booker.

Elizabeth asked, "What did you do there?"

Booker shrugged "Business much like this. Not something that really caters writing on a resume".

Elizabeth smiled "It was a fine thing that came along when you did"

Booker snorted, "How do you think I ended up here? I gambled and now I owe money to men you don't want to be in debt to. I came here to pay it back. Me busting you out…what do you think that was? Charity?"

"Who sent you?" asked Elizabeth, her eyes narrowed.

Booker shrugged "Somebody who was willing to take my marker, in exchange for you".

Elizabeth went silent. For the rest of the gondola ride, the three were silent. When they arrived, they disembarked and they made their way to the airship.

* * *

In the lobby of the aerodrome, soldiers were lying in wait for them.

Booker and Wally managed to defeat them due to their small number. The three climbed into the elevator and Booker hit the button.

As they waited in the elevator, Elizabeth glanced to Booker and Wally "So, looks like they call you the False Shepherd and the Lost Son"

"And you the lamb" responded Booker.

Elizabeth grimaced and said "Lets not call each other by those names"

"Agreed" said Booker and Wally.

Elizabeth then asked, "How do you figure they knew that we were coming?"

"Either they got a prophet on their side" said Booker "Or the guys who hired me have been dropping clues for them"

"Why?" asked Wally, feeling a little confused that Bookers employees would sell him out like that. Booker only shrugged muttering, "Got me".

The elevator stopped and they climbed out. The three crossed a gangplank and boarded the airship.

The _First Lady_ airship was devoid of any crewmen or soldiers. Once they were all aboard, Wally sealed the doors up and Booker took the controls. He pulled the switch and steered the ship out of dock.

As he carefully guided the airship out of dock, Booker looked to Elizabeth who was staring out the window in anticipation.

The private investigator asked "You alright?"

Elizabeth sighed and smiled "I want to see Paris, I want to see…everything"

"Its up to you now" said Booker "There's no one-"

"Wait a minute" said Elizabeth. She pointed to the coordinates that Booker set into the consol "40 North by 70 West. That's not Paris, that's New York"

"Oh boy" muttered Wally.

Booker's eyes widened "How'd you know that?"

"One thing I had in that tower was time, Mr. DeWitt" said Elizabeth, sounding upset "Time to study things like geography" she crossed her arms.

Wally took a few steps away from Booker and Elizabeth, not wanting to be in the middle of the argument.

Booker sighed, "I owed money and there's a fellow who offered to wipe away the debt, in exchange for you".

Elizabeth stared at Booker in shock. She buried her face in her hands and began to sob. Booker looked to Wally who just shrugged, not knowing what to do. The private investigator sighed and he consoled Elizabeth "Hey…common now…I just-" suddenly Elizabeth picked up a wrench that sat on the consol and struck Booker on the head with it.

Booker crumpled to the ground unconscious. She turned to Wally and she struck him down too. Wally sank into unconsciousness.

* * *

Booker went in and out of unconsciousness.

He managed to catch some glimpses of Elizabeth trying to steer the airship then a new airship appeared and blocked her path.

He also saw Elizabeth step past the two and abandon the airship.

Finally, he saw an African American man board the ship and he saw that Booker was awake.

He kicked Booker in the face and Booker faded into unconsciousness.

* * *

Wally floated through pitch-blackness. He floated there alone forever.

Suddenly, he wasn't alone. John Friday appeared, accompanied by a woman, an older man and several other men in grey suits.

John looked to the others and said in monotone "I'm afraid that it is as we have feared. The girl has grown stronger than we originally thought. Her actions have agitated the tears and they are creating new ones as well as expanding already existing tears"

The others all mumbled amongst themselves until the eldest of the group held up a hand.

The man looked around his late fifties, he had sapphire eyes, some lines on his face and he wore a grey suit like John and a fedora.

The man spoke in a voice that was emotionless and cold "I see. What action would you propose?"

"I propose that we move to eliminate the girl" said John "She is the epicenter of the error. If she is erased, then everything will realign"

"Hear, hear" said one of the men.

The woman held up a hand saying coolly "I object". The woman wore grey like her companions but she didn't ware a hat. She had white hair tied into a bun and she had emerald eyes.

John looked to the woman and asked "To what, Lana?"

Lana spoke "Killing the girl is pointless. She is just a side effect of the error. The real errors are the speedster and DeWitt"

"What do you suggest?" asked the eldest of the men.

Lana spoke formally "I believe further observation is needed. When we are entirely sure who is the source of the error, then we move to correct it".

John and the other men in grey all discussed Lana's proposal. Finally, the man with sapphire eyes nodded "Agreed"

"Agreed" chorused the group of men.

John sighed "Agreed".

The man with sapphire eyes nodded "It is unanimous. We will watch and wait"

"Thank you David" said Lana.

David cleared his throat and said "Now that, that is out of the way. It is time to move onto the next item of the agenda" he looked to Lana "What is the status of Jack Ryan?"

Wally's eyes widened in shock, they were going after Jack. If they were going after him, then they might be going after Artemis.

Before Lana could answer, a white light blinded Wally and he woke up.

* * *

Wally sat up and he saw that he was still aboard the _First Lady_ airship.

Only, Elizabeth was gone and a woman and a man were there. The woman was young, had long black hair, brown skin and dark eyes.

The man had short hair, had brown skin and he was currently holding Booker's head out the window.

The woman looked to Wally and she spoke in a thick Jamaican accent "Good, you are awake"

"Who are you?" asked Wally.

The woman introduced herself "I am Daisy Fitzroy, Leader of the Vox Populi" she studied Wally "You must be the one they call the Lost Son"

"Y-yeah" said Wally.

Daisy Fitzroy continued to study Wally. She muttered, "There is a resemblance"

"Huh?" said Wally.

Daisy shook her head "never mind". She walked over and helped Wally to his feet "You and you're friend, the so-called False Shepherd, have caused a mess of trouble down at the raffle"

"uh…yeah" said Wally.

Daisy smiled "Nice work".

Booker suddenly awoke. He was groaning loudly and cursing Elizabeth. The man holding his head out the window pulled him back in and Daisy introduced herself to Booker.

When the introductions were finished, Booker said to Daisy "Look, we have no quarrel with the Vox Populi, but this is our airship and we're in need of it"

"Really?" said Daisy " 'cause it looks like ol' Comstock's airship to me"

"Listen we ain't looking for a fight" said Booker.

Daisy frowned and she said "There's already a fight Mr. DeWitt. The question is, which side you on?" she scowled "Comstock is the god of the white man, the rich man, the pitiless man" she looked to Wally then to Booker "But if you believe in the common folk, the poor, the downtrodden, the righteous folk, those that Comstock and his ilk believe to be worthless, than join the Vox".

Booker shook his head "I just want a ship"

"And the Vox shall give one to you" promised Daisy. She reached into her pocket and withdrew a card.

The leader of the Vox Populi explained "But first, you must help the Vox".

Booker hesitated for a moment and he looked to Wally. Wally thought for a moment. They could help the Vox Populi. If Daisy was telling the truth, then they could be helping the good guys. Wally knew that if Daisy and the others could've killed them or tortured them for information about Elizabeth but they didn't. Eventually, Wally nodded.

Booker nodded as well "Fine, what do you want us to do?"

Daisy handed Booker the card saying, "Down in Finkton, there's a gunsmith who can supply weapons to our cause" she looked Booker in the eye and said "Get our guns from him and you shall have your ship".

Booker accepted the card and nodded "Right".

Daisy nodded and the man pushed Booker out the door. Booker fell about ten feet and landed on a large stack of sacks filled straw.

Wally jumped out of the airship and landed beside Booker. Wally got up and he saw that they were at a factory of sorts.

It was a large, red bricked building with towering smoke stacks that spewed a constant stream of thick black smoke. On the roof of the factory by the smoke stacks was a large picture of a man and a sign that read, "_Fink MFG". _

Wally recognized the man as the announcer from the raffle. Booker cocked his weapon and he muttered, "Common kid, lets get moving"

Wally nodded and the two started off to the factory.

* * *

Daisy watched from above as Booker and Wally enter Finkton. She felt relieved that they agreed to go.

In the fight against Comstock, she'll use whatever helps whenever she can get it. Suddenly she felt a cold wind rush through the bridge of the airship.

Daisy spun around with her weapon drawn but she stopped.

Standing there was a short, thin, pale boy with raven hair. The boy wore a black suit, black pointed shoes and a black necktie. He cradled a ginger cat in the crook of his arm and stroked its fur lovingly.

Daisy scowled "Oh…it's you"

"Hello Daisy" greeted the boy "Long time no see"

"What do you want Witch Boy?" growled Daisy.

Klarion frowned "Can't a fella stop by and say hello to an old friend"

"We are not friends" said Daisy coldly.

The lord of chaos shrugged "What? I said I was sorry about that whole exploding hat affair. It's not my fault that block had gasoline tanks"

"Enough!" grunted Daisy, leveling her weapon to Klarion's forehead "What do you want?"

"Our mutual friend says hello" said Klarion "And he also wants to know about that boy that accompanies DeWitt"

"What about him?" asked Daisy.

Klarion shrugged "How should I know? I hardly know what goes through his mind"

"What does he know about him?" probed Daisy.

The lord of chaos tapped his chin thoughtfully and said, "Well, he said that Fink found some papers saying that the boy was the child of Rosalind Lutece and Comstock believes it as well and, hilariously enough, the old geezer is on edge"

"Is he now?" said Daisy, smirking a little. Klarion nodded as a grin appeared on his face.

Daisy thought of the redhead. He did resemble Rosalind a bit and his age does sort of line up right with the amount of time until the incident. He could very possibly be her child.

Finally, Daisy told Klarion "Tell him I'll keep him informed and if I learn anything new, he'll be the first to know"

Klarion nodded "Great". He looked down at the cat purring in his arm saying "Say bye, bye Teekl" the cat meowed and Klarion moved the cat's paw as if he was waving goodbye to Daisy.

The lord of chaos vanished in a puff of red smoke, leaving Daisy and her subordinate alone.

* * *

Booker and Wally strolled through the factory as if they belonged. They passed workers, dressed in shabby clothes scrubbing the floors.

The two passed through a busy assembly line where workers were busy assembling vending machines and other devices that could easily be found anywhere else in Columbia. The workers paid no notice to the two.

They either didn't care or they knew that Booker and Wally were working with the Vox Populi or security.

Wally felt disgusted with the factory. The working conditions were shoddy and it looked like all the workers weren't being paid anything. Scattered around the factory were uniformed guards, armed with Billy clubs and guns. There was even a Motorized Patriot standing guard nearby, armed with a mini-gun that could easily cut down hundreds of workers in seconds.

Quickly, Booker and Wally left the assembly line and entered a shipping yard.

In the shipping yard, there were large train cars being loaded with crates of Fink products by workers, while being supervised by armed security.

The two passed through the shipping yard unnoticed and found a building with a sign that read "_Delivery center"_.

Booker and Wally pried open the doors and on the other side was Elizabeth.

When she saw Booker, she turned and ran. Booker sprinted after her with Wally following closely after.

Elizabeth yelled "Stay away!"

"Wait, I just wanna talk to you!" said Booker.

She weaved through a maze of crates, with Booker and Wally hot on her heels.

Elizabeth turned and she ripped open a tear in front of them. The two skidded to a halt as a marching band marched past them, playing loudly.

The tear snapped shut and the two continued pursuing Elizabeth. Elizabeth darted around a corner and she ripped open another tear where a train was running right between them. Once the tear shut, they hurried after her.

Finally, they caught up with Elizabeth at a dead end. But Elizabeth ripped open a tear.

She turned to the two saying "I'm not going with you!"

"Wait!" yelled Booker.

Elizabeth shook her head "I don't need one such as you!" but suddenly a pair of men grabbed her from behind and pulled her through the tear.

Booker and Wally ran to get her but the tear snapped shut. They heard muffled voices on the other side of the wall.

Booker heard Elizabeth shouting, "_Let me go!"_

"_We have her!" _shouted one of the men

"_Call it in!"_ shouted another.

The private investigator cursed and kicked the wall saying "There's got to be another way through"

"Over there!" said Wally, pointing towards a door on the other side of the room. The two hurried through the doors and found themselves outside on a pier.

Wally saw that the pier was near a new area that looked like a fort.

Booker spotted Elizabeth who was struggling to get away from the soldiers who grabbed her.

The soldiers spotted them and shouted "Over there!" suddenly soldiers started to swarm the pair.

* * *

Booker and Wally fought madly through the wave of soldiers until they found Elizabeth using a nearby sky rail to escape.

She yelled at them "Leave me alone!"

Booker grumbled something and the two followed after her. The two zipped down the sky rail over the pier and the docking areas until they dismounted in a safe area. Up ahead was Elizabeth.

Booker and Wally moved to run to her but suddenly a pair of large mechanical hands grabbed them and lifted them off the ground as if they were ragdolls.

Wally saw the hands belonged to a large mechanical man of some sorts. The man had a head like a man and that was the only thing human about him, except for the heart in his chest. His entire body was metal, which had gears and cogs grinding away loudly.

In his chest, underneath some glass, was a beating, human heart. The cyborg man growled "False Shepherd"

"aw crap" muttered Wally.

The cyborg lobbed Booker and Wally at a train car that was moving along the sky rail. The two bounced along the roof of the car and almost slipped off but luckily Booker caught onto the roof and he caught Wally by the collar of his suit.

Booker pulled Wally and himself up, only to see the mechanical man lob a metal disc at them.

The disc sliced through the cables that were holding the train car to the sky rail. The car tipped, sending Booker and Wally slipping off the roof and free falling. But suddenly there was a flash of light and a blimp appeared right beneath them.

Wally and Booker landed on top of the blimp. The two looked up and saw Elizabeth standing on a dock above them.

Elizabeth warned "Do not attempt to follow me"

"Wait"!" cried Wally. Booker joined in "I made an arrangement to get our airship back".

Elizabeth froze and she looked at him skeptically "You can get us out of here?"

"Yes" answered Booker. He then added quickly "I just need to supply enough weapons to an entire uprising".

Elizabeth scoffed "And where can we get these weapons? From one of our many friends and allies?"

"A gunsmith in Finkton" said Booker "It should be a walk in the park". Elizabeth scowled at Booker for a few moments.

The blimp ascended to the level the docks were and the two hopped off. Booker extended his hand "What do you say, partners?"

Elizabeth sighed, "You're a liar, Mr. DeWitt and thug. But you're my only means of reaching Paris" she shook his hand. The three turned and left.

* * *

They made their way along the docks and found a gondola station that led to another part of Finkton.

As they boarded the gondola, Elizabeth sniffed "Don't get to comfortable with my company, Mr. DeWitt. You're a means to an end, nothing more"

"Whatever" said Booker, shrugging. The gondola carried them out of the docks and to Finkton Proper.

The outside of Finkton Proper consisted of several large administrative buildings and factories. The gondola deposited the trio at a massive building with a clock tower.

As they made their way up the front steps, Wally noticed that there were dozens of people of various races and ethnicities. They were all dressed in ordinary clothing, carrying suitcases and looking nervous.

When Booker, Wally and Elizabeth entered the building, a large gold statue of a happy looking family greeted them with an inscription carved in the base that read, "_Your future is Finkton"_.

Elizabeth noticed a poster for a gunsmith's shop. The gunsmith's name was Chen Len.

Elizabeth nodded to the poster "There's your gunsmith" she glanced over to Booker and asked "Who sent you to find her?"

"Daisy Fitzroy" answered Booker.

Elizabeth remarked, "I hear she's either a great hero or the worst of scoundrels, depending on who's doing the telling"

"If she's good on delivering on that airship, I don't care if she's the Queen of Holland" said Booker.

The three walked through the building. Wally saw there were more ordinary looking people, all lined up at desks and talking with the people stationed there. He saw what looked like the entrance into Finkton but it was blocked off by police and had signs that read "_No more jobs"._

An automaton said cheerfully "_Welcome to Fink Industries recruitment! We are not looking for any help at the moment"_.

Booker looked around for a way past the police. Elizabeth whispered, "How are we going to get in?"

"Illegally" replied Booker. The private investigator nodded over to a set of stairs in the far corner of the building, hidden from plain view by some desks.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth crept past the police and snuck down the stairs until they came to a locked door. Elizabeth picked the lock and they hurried through the door, into a corridor illuminated by lamps hanging from the ceiling.

There was a sign that read "_Service elevator to Finkton"_ "That could work" said Elizabeth

"Yeah, and get us killed in the process" muttered Booker.

They followed the corridor until they found more stairs that led down to a vast floor filled with offices. As they made their way through the offices, Elizabeth saw a report on one of the desks they passed. She read aloud "The gunsmith Chen Len, wanted for being connected to the outlaw Daisy Fitzroy"

"Looks like our guy's drawn attention" muttered Booker

"That's not good, is it?" asked Wally.

Booker shook his head "No".

Finally, they reached the elevator. Booker pressed the button and the three waited for the elevator. Wally noticed a nearby locker with its door hanging open. He went over and searched through it and found a book that had a name he didn't recognize but he found a picture that bookmarked a certain page in the book. The photo had a face Wally recognized. Cornelius Slate.

Wally turned and he held up the book and photo so Elizabeth and Booker could see "Booker, this was Slate's locker".

Booker and Elizabeth stared at Wally in shock. The speedster studied the book and he said, "He must've worked here".

He handed the book to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth flipped through the pages and she gasped. She looked to Booker and Wally saying breathlessly "This…this was my mother's diary"

"What?" said Booker "Why would he have it?"

Elizabeth shook her head "I don't know". She read aloud from the page that Slate's photo bookmarked "_My husband claims that the child was created by whole cloth by divine will. I am a believer but I'm not a fool. His…bastard…shall not be raised under this roof"_ she looked up from the book, her face was white as a sheet "My mother…SHE had me locked away in that tower"

"Elizabeth…" said Booker but said nothing else. He didn't exactly know what to say.

Elizabeth closed the book saying, "I just want to get out of this city. Please"

"Amen to that" said Wally. Elizabeth handed Wally the diary and Wally tucked it away in his coat pocket for safe keeping.

The elevator arrived and they climbed in. Booker hit the button and the elevator descended.

* * *

As the elevator descended, a recording of Jeremiah Fink's voice spoke over the speakers in the elevator "_Greetings! I am Jeremiah Fink and I want to share with you my personal creed. What is the most amiable creature on God's green earth? Why it's the bee!"_

Wally and Booker shared a confused glance. The recording continued "_Have you ever seen a bee on a vacation? Have you ever seen a bee take a sick day?_"

Fink chuckled and said "_Well my friends, the answer is no! So I say…be the bee. Be the bee!" _ the recording ended.

Suddenly the elevator came to an abrupt halt. A bell rang. Wally frowned. It sounded like a telephone. The three glanced around and found a small telephone on the wall of the elevator.

Booker answered it "H-Hello?" on the other end of the line was a woman's voice "_Mr. DeWitt?"_

"Yeah" said Booker

"_Please hold for Mr. Fink"_ said the woman.

Booker frowned in confusion. How did Fink know that they were in the elevator? Elizabeth asked, "What's going on?" Booker didn't answer.

Jeremiah Fink's voice came on "_DeWitt? Fink here. Listen my boy we've had our eye on you and your pal and I can tell you now that you're both our top candidates!" _

Booker glanced over to Elizabeth and Wally and saw that the two were rather uncomfortably close to him, trying to listen to the conversation. From the expressions on their faces, it was obvious that they heard what Fink said.

Fink continued "_Now, my associate Mr. Flambeau will help you with anything you need. Heh, heh." There was a click and the line went dead._

Elizabeth frowned "What the hell was that about?"

"I have no idea" said Booker, hanging up the phone.

Elizabeth snorted, "He seems oddly pleased to make your acquaintance". The elevator began to move again.

Through the window, they saw Finkton. Across from them, they saw a massive statue of Fink, made of solid gold.

Surrounding the statue were several massive buildings like factories, administrative buildings and warehouses. However, the statue dwarfed all the buildings around it. The sun made the gold statue shine brightly, forcing the trio to shield their eyes.

Elizabeth remarked "Well, the man's got an ego"

"Understatement of the century" said Wally.

The elevator descended past several floors where workers were busy working and security patrolling the corridors. When the elevator came to a halt, they saw a man with long brown hair waiting for them. The man wore a fine business suit and stood tall.

Wally guessed that it was Mr. Flambeu, the man Fink was talking about. The speedster's guess was correct.

The man spoke "Mr. DeWitt, Mr. Lutece-" "Its West" corrected Wally.

The man didn't listen. He just proceeded in a formal tone "Welcome to Finkton". Mr. Flambeau nodded to a table next to the elevator saying, "You'll find a variety of supplies here that should see you through your visit".

Booker and Wally turned to the table and saw a variety guns, a few bottles of Salts and extra clips for the guns they were currently using. Reluctantly, the two stocked up on the ammunition and Salts.

Elizabeth asked Mr. Flambeu "What does Mr. Fink want with us?"

"Excuse me miss" replied Flambeau "But Mr. Fink is strictly interested in the two gentlemen here"

"But why-?" asked Elizabeth but Flambeu's only reply was "So sorry, young miss, but any questions regarding the gentlemen's applications should be taken up with Mr. Fink directly".

Mr. Flambeau walked away and he opened the doors behind him, revealing the plaza.

The three cautiously stepped through. Outside, the air was heavy with the smell of burning coal and oil.

Elizabeth whispered to Booker "Does this strike you as good news? It doesn't strike me as good news"

"It all feels weird to me" whispered Wally.

Once they were in the plaza, the doors behind them closed. The three journeyed further into the plaza.

* * *

In the center of the plaza, there was a crowd gathered around a man standing on a pile of boxes. The man was auctioning off jobs to people who were desperately trying to seek employment. The three continued on past them.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth walked down a busy street in search of the gunsmith. Wally glanced around Finkton.

Finkton was a city in and of itself. The buildings weren't as grand or beautiful as the rest of Columbia's but they were built to last and looked sturdy.

However, the quality of living seemed very low in Finkton. People were practically trying to buy their way into a job. Jeremiah Fink paid his workers Fink tokens instead of actual money, which was only good at a Fink Industry store.

Not to mention that Fink had his employees working incredibly long shifts and in horrible conditions that would no sane person would work in.

Wally wanted to do something but there was nothing he could do.

Eventually, they found Chen Lin's workshop. It was a large building that had Chen Lin's name on the door.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth entered the gunsmith's shop. When they entered, they found it cluttered and messy but there was nobody in sight.

Booker nodded to a door behind the front desk and the three entered through it.

They found a large, industrial furnace burning away, powering large machinery nearby. The three climbed up some stairs and continued searching for Chen Lin. They passed a statue of the Buddha on the mezzanine and finally reached the top floor of the workshop.

Chen Lin was nowhere in sight. Booker looked around and saw that it was cluttered and messy, with items strewn all over the floor.

He called out "Hello? Mr. Lin? Chen Lin? Anybody here?" there was no answer.

Elizabeth glanced around the messy workshop and asked, "What happened here?" "Looks like somebody turned the place over" said Wally

"Local constabulary no doubt" said Booker.

As they searched through the ruined workshop, Elizabeth heard someone whimpering. She turned to the others "Do you hear that?" they both nodded

"Sounds like somebody is downstairs" said Booker. The three rushed down the stairs and found a Chinese woman in front of the Buddha statue, prying and fighting back a sob.

Booker spoke "Excuse me…ma'am? Sorry to bother you but…we're looking for Mr. Lin". The woman didn't answer.

For a moment, she said nothing. Finally, she looked to Booker saying in a thick accent, her voice was breaking "Mr. Lin, not here. He…gone"

"Gone?" said Elizabeth.

The woman nodded, some tears running down her cheek "They take. Flying squad. I pray. I pray to give back. Give to May Lin"

"Where did they take him?" asked Elizabeth gently.

May Lin answered in a soft voice, "Club, Everyone taken to Good Time Club"

"Where is this club?" asked Booker.

May Lin began to weep and Booker tried to ask for an answer but Elizabeth held up a hand "We'll find it, just leave her be".

May Lin started to tremble "Why not Vox Populi help Chen Lin? Why not Daisy Fitzroy help Chen Lin?"

"We'll help" said Booker "We'll try to get him back". May Lin sniffed and thanked Booker. The three made their way to the exit.

As they made their way out of Chen Lin's shop, Elizabeth asked "Who're the flying squad"

"Cops" answered Booker grimly "A nasty bunch. They're the kind of guys who probably have their boots on Chen's throat and asking how well he knows Daisy Fitzroy"

"Isn't she who we're working for?" asked Wally.

Booker nodded "Yep. Right now, lets figure out where the Good Time club is". Elizabeth, Booker and Wally left the shop.

* * *

A few moments after they left, a man entered the shop. The man was dressed in a black suit with a red necktie. He had black hair slicked back and he wore a pair of glasses over his sky blue eyes.

He went up to the mezzanine where he ran into May Lin.

The man frowned in confusion "May Lin, what's wrong?" "Flying squad" answered May Lin, she trembled in fear "Took Chen Lin"

"What?" exclaimed the man in outrage "Why?"

"They know he was Vox Populi" answered May Lin.

The man cursed and he assured May Lin "Don't worry, I'll handle this. I'll do what I can to get him back"

May Lin sniffed "Thank you. You are a good man, Mr. Luthor".

* * *

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth were trudging down the street in search of the Good Time club.

So far, they had no luck. Suddenly, Elizabeth shouted, "Watch out!" she tackled Wally and Booker, knocking them to the ground as a large chunk of metal went soaring right where their heads were.

The two thanked Elizabeth and they looked up and saw who threw it.

It was the mechanical man who tossed Wally and Booker around like ragdolls. Elizabeth groaned "A handyman".

The mechanical man zeroed in on the three and he bellowed something about ripping Booker to pieces.

Quickly, Elizabeth, Wally and Booker got up. Booker fired at the handyman and Wally zipped around the mechanical man at super speed, trying to find a weakness.

The bullets bounced off of the handyman's metal body and most of Booker's Vigor's had minimal effect on him.

The handyman jumped at Booker, trying to grab him and rip him apart but Booker managed to jump out of the way and avoid him. But one bullet struck the glass covering the handyman's heart and the glass cracked.

Wally yelled to Booker "The heart! Aim for the heart!"

Booker nodded and he used his machine gun and fired a rapid burst at the handyman's heart. It took a while but the bullets managed to punch through the glass and shred the handyman's heart.

The handyman crumpled to the ground, dead.

When the handyman was defeated, Elizabeth turned to Booker saying, "I don't care much about you, Mr. DeWitt but I must admit, you do know your way around a brawl".

Booker frowned "Thanks…I guess".

Elizabeth sighed "I'm sorry about what I said at the docks…for calling you a thug"

"Yeah?" said Booker in surprise "Can't see how I changed your sense of that"

"You protected me" said Elizabeth. Booker shrugged "Job's a job".

Wally smiled a little but he saw something in the corner of his eye. He turned and saw a strange, red sliver of light coming from an alleyway. The speedster entered the alley and he saw that it looked like a tear. The tear was glowing red and it looked like a bleeding cut.

When he got closer to it, the tear widened a little and he heard rock music blasting through.

Elizabeth and Booker saw and they ran over. Elizabeth listened to the music "You hear that?"

"I never heard that song before" said Booker.

Elizabeth shook her head "I don't suspect anyone's heard that song before".

Actually, Wally has heard the song before. He remembered it from a party that the team threw after the battle against Mongul and War World. The song brought back memories of home and an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. The tear suddenly snapped shut and the music was silenced.

Elizabeth frowned "Strange" "Lets keep moving" said Booker.

The trio turned and left to continue their search for the Good Time club.

* * *

After a long search and journey through some back streets, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth finally found the Good Time club.

The Good Time club was a large, posh building with a golden statue of Fink standing outside. The statue was a scale model of the golden behemoth the three saw from the elevator that carried them into Finkton.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth climbed the front steps and entered the Good Time club.

They stepped into a very luxurious looking lobby that was decorated with the finest furniture available in Columbia.

An automaton greeted them with a wide smile and a wave "_Welcome to the Good Time Club sir or madam! Where the lions roar! The show is about to begin!"_ the automaton gestured to a grand staircase that led up and to some doors that led to another room.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth ascended one of the staircases and a bar. Next to the bar was a stairway that led down into a vast, grand lounge that came with a stage and a vast common area for patrons to relax and interact.

Jeremiah Fink spoke over an intercom "_Ah, DeWitt, Lutece, my boys! You know that the best kind of interview is one where the applicants don't know that they're being evaluated!"_ he chuckled a little and continued _"But…I've watched you both since the other day at the lottery. You're a couple of brutes! And in times like this, I could use some brutes!" Wally frowned. Was Fink offering them jobs?_

Booker scowled "What do you want Fink?"

"_Labor unrest is coming, Mr. DeWitt" _said Fink "_Now, Fitzroy has got the jungle all riled up. A man like me could use have use of an old Pinkerton like you and a sharpshooter like your friend". _

Booker shook his head and said to Elizabeth and Wally "Lets find Chen Lin and get the hell out of here". They couldn't agree more.

As they searched through the vast lounge, Fink continued "_Now, now, all I ask is that you finish what you started, DeWitt...wouldn't want to disappoint the other applicants". _Wally and Booker were confused. Other applicants?

Fink announced in a loud, dramatic voice "_Our first applicant is a veteran of Peking. Now, what was it they say about old soldiers? Ha, ha, ha!" _the lights in the lounge began to dim. A spotlight flicked on and shone down on the stage where a pair of red curtains began to part.

Fink continued, "_Frankly, my money is on you and the redhead. This guy is something of an old hand at handling explosives. Only man I know who hasn't lost a limb working with them. Yet". _

The curtains were drawn back revealing a man dressed in heavy armor and carried a pair of large metal tanks on his back. Men armed to the teeth with all sorts of weapons accompanied him.

Elizabeth exclaimed "Fireman!"

The man growled something and lobbed a fireball at Booker and the others.

The three split up and dived behind cover as the Fireman and the other men fired upon them.

* * *

On the second floor bar, sitting in a cushy armchair watching the scene was Klarion the Witch boy.

His Familiar Teekl rested in his lap and he held a glass of bourbon in his hand. He watched the battle with great interest. Before he could sip his drink, a man with black hair and sky blue eyes snatched the glass from the boy's hand.

Klarion whined "Hey!" "No alcohol for children" chided the man.

The lord of chaos crossed his arms and pouted, "You're no fun Lionel"

"Not when it comes to something serious as this" said Lionel Luthor gesturing to the drink and the battle that was happening down in the lounge.

The two heard Fink say "_Yes! Good! Quite the eager beaver isn't he?" _Lionel frowned and looked down at the battle.

Half the lounge was scorched by the Fireman's attacks and there were bodies scattered about. Lionel shook his head in dismay "Fink you son of a bitch"

"You have to admit, he's got style" said Klarion in an almost admiring tone.

Suddenly a loud explosion rocked the entire room, sending out a wave of harsh heat and fire in every direction. The two saw that Booker shot the tanks of gasoline on the Fireman's back, which ignited and incinerated the man and anyone close to him.

Fink announced, "_This young go-getter is a former devotee of Lady Comstock! But without the ol' gal, they don't know what to do with themselves." _

A large, blue box rose from beneath the stage. The box was marked "Fink Industries".

Fink then said in a softer voice "_Picked this one up at a Hiring fair. For a song" _suddenly a flock of Crows emerged from the box and swirled around a spot. Booker and the others saw a man dressed in a black hood appear in the middle of the swirling flock of crows.

Klarion nodded approvingly "Nice entrance". Lionel sighed and he pulled up a chair then sat down next to Klarion.

* * *

Booker and Wally fought wave after wave of armed men with Elizabeth supplying them with the weapons, ammo and Salts of their fallen enemies.

They fought automatons, Motorized Patriots and another Fireman.

Finally, after defeating the last of Fink's men, Fink cried "_Good show boys! Good show!" _

Wally felt disgusted with Fink. He sacrificed his own men just to get Booker, and to an extent, himself, to join up with his company.

Fink spoke "_You know, when your names first passed to me I wasn't so sure you were the right men for the job." _He chuckled a little.

Booker growled, "We're not interested in your job Fink".

Fink sighed "_Now, now, I know all about your little job for Fitzroy. But do you really want to take her offer over mine? Do you know how many people would kill to be head and assistant head of Fink Security?" _he chuckled again saying "_You're a tough nut to crack Mr. DeWitt. A tough nut!" _he chuckled at his own joke.

The businessman then said menacingly "_I promise you this, I will get what I want". _The intercom went dead.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth decided to continue searching for Chen Lin. They searched through the destroyed lounge for a way out and luckily, Booker found a door backstage.

The trio passed through some dressing rooms and followed a set of stairs down to the basement.

Booker heard a man speaking "Common, you're a modern woman…it's nineteen twelve"

A woman replied coldly "It's going to be two thousand twelve before I'm interested in you".

Wally couldn't help but snicker. They found the source of the voices. Two guards, sitting at a table playing cards. Before they could reach for their weapons, Booker electrocuted them with Shock Jockey. Wally searched around the basement and found some bunk beds and a locked door.

Elizabeth found a chalkboard that had a list of names and cell numbers. Chen Lin was in cell 9. Elizabeth picked the lock on the locked door.

As she picked the lock, Booker said "I used to work for guys like Fink"

"Really?" said Elizabeth in surprise

"I was with the Pinkertons" said Booker "They'd call us in when the workers got restless"

"To do what" asked Wally.

Booker answered grimly "Demonstrate the folly of men striking." "You hurt people?" said Elizabeth.

Booker then said "I'll tell you this, sometimes there's precious need for folks like Fitzroy."

"Why?" asked Wally

"Cause of folks like me" muttered Booker.

Once Elizabeth unlocked the door, Wally and Booker entered first with their weapons at the ready.

On the other side of the door was a spacious room where a projector showing a man interrogating Chen Lin. Chen Lin had a number of cuts and bruises on his face. The interrogator was constantly probing for answers but Chen Lin kept his mouth shut.

Wally saw a bunch bloodstained rags on a nearby table, which were probably used to clean up the blood after the interrogation.

When they had enough, the three continued on. Booker, Wally and Elizabeth entered a corridor where there was a foul smell wafting through the air.

Wally pinched his nose closed to block out the horrible scent "Ugh, its stinks in here"

"Ain't no privies down here" said Booker. Elizabeth said in disgust "They treat them like animals".

A guard walked out into the corridor and he saw the three. Before he could shout, Booker electrocuted him and he quickly ran to the room the guard exited from. He found it empty, except for a table with a gun on it and a man sitting slumped in a wheelchair.

Booker's eyes widened in shock, realizing whom the man was. It was Slate.

Wally and Elizabeth entered the room and they saw Slate as well. The old soldier's wound was bandaged up and he sat there in the chair, staring blankly at the table. Wally noticed that there was a glassy look in his eye.

The speedster waved a hand in front of his face and got no response.

Elizabeth breathed, "You were right…sparing him was no mercy". They left the room without another word.

* * *

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth continued down the corridor passing locked cells. They would each catch a glimps of who was in each cell and they saw to that the prisoners were all beaten and bruised.

None of the prisoners even bothered to move. Finally, they found Chen Lin's cell.

As Elizabeth worked on the lock, she wondered, "What could these people have done to deserve to be locked up in a place like this?"

"Fink doesn't need much of a reason" said Booker.

Elizabeth shook her head "No, no he doesn't".

The lock clicked and the door swung open. Instead of a small cramped cell, they found a room with a set of stairs that led down.

Booker and the others entered and they climbed down the stairs.

Fink spoke over the intercom "_DeWitt, you and your pal are lions. But can you blame me for looking after my own interests, can you?" _Booker didn't answer.

Fink continued "_Now I know Fitzroy has come calling…but I think you'll find your business with her has come to an end. Lions walk with lions, DeWitt, not hyenas!" _

Booker and the others reached the bottom of the stairs in a dimly lit room with white tiles on the floor.

Wally noticed streaks of blood on the floor leading into a dark area of the room. Booker entered the dark and he cautiously felt around on the wall nearest to him until he found a switch. He flipped the switch and a spotlight flicked on, illuminating the darkness.

Elizabeth gasped in horror. She covered her mouth and tried not to vomit. Wally paled and he said softly "Booker…"

Booker turned and he blanched. He saw that they were in an operating theater of sorts. In the middle of the operating theater was a bloodied figure, sitting slumped over in a chair, surrounded tables that had medical and surgical tools on them.

Booker approached the figure and he swiveled the chair around. It was Chen Lin.

His face was unrecognizable. It was purple, black and red, covered in cuts, gashes and other horrible wounds.

Booker sighed "We're too late…God damn it."

"Fink…" said Elizabeth in almost a whisper "This is what he meant…".

Booker bowed his head low then said, "We're going to need to find someone else to make those guns".

Elizabeth shook her head "No" "Dead is dead, Elizabeth" said Booker.

Suddenly a voice said "Dead is dead".

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth turned and saw two shapes standing in the shadows. Booker leveled his weapon to the shadows "Who's there?" suddenly a light flickered on and Wally saw that it was Robert and Rosalind Lutece.

Robert flipped a coin and held it up so Rosalind could see it.

Booker's eyebrows rose "What..? How the hell?"

"I see heads" said Rosalind

"And I can see tails" said Robert. "It's all a matter of perspective" said Rosalind.

Booker scowled at the two "Why are you following us? Who sent you, Comstock? What do you want from-"

"What do you see here?" asked Robert "From this angle"

"Dead" answered Rosalind. She glanced to her brother "What do you see?"

"Alive" answered Robert. Booker and Wally were utterly confused.

Elizabeth nudged Wally and she pointed to Chen Lin's body. The speedster looked and he saw something that almost made his eyes pop out of his skull.

Wally waved Booker over "Booker, check this out". Booker walked over to where Elizabeth and Wally were standing.

Rosalind muttered to her brother "This is becoming rather awkward".

Wally and Elizabeth moved and Booker stepped over to where they were standing. He looked up at Chen Lin's body and he felt his blood run cold.

Chen Lin's body was gone. The private investigator breathed, "His body is gone".

He moved out of the area he was standing in and he saw Chen Lin's body reappear. Booker moved back to where he was standing and saw it vanish.

Robert said what was on their minds "It was never here"

"It's another Columbia" breathed Booker

"It's a different Columbia" added Elizabeth.

The twins nodded and Robert said "The same coin"

"A different perspective" finished Rosalind.

"Heads" said Robert "Tails" said Rosalind.

"Dead" said Robert "Alive" said Rosalind.

Elizabeth looked to Booker and Wally "We have to go to this other Columbia. But…how?"

Robert smiled "It's like riding a bicycle" "One never really forgets" said Rosalind. Robert nodded "One just needs the courage to climb aboard".

Elizabeth swallowed and she said "If we go into this tear, I don't think I'll be able to bring us back" she looked to Booker.

Booker smiled a little "I believe you can do it". Elizabeth blushed a little. She nodded and she reached into the tear.

With great effort, she began to rip the small tear open.

As the room was slowly being bathed in a blinding white light, Rosalind waved goodbye to Wally saying "Good luck sweetie, we'll be rooting for you". Wally had no idea what she was talking about. In fact, he had no idea what either Rosalind or her brother were talking about most of the time. So the speedster just shrugged and said nothing.

Pretty soon, everything went white and when the light died, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth were gone.

End of chapter

* * *

**(a/n: So, what do you think. Sorry if i skimmed a bit on the details. Please review!)**


	8. Ch 8: Through the Looking Glass

**(a/n: Please enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Ch.8: Through the Looking Glass

When the light died, Wally blinked a few times and tried to let his eyes adjust.

After a few seconds, Wally's eyes adjusted and he looked around at his new surroundings. The floors were no longer white tiled and stained with blood. Wooden boards replaced them and the blood was gone. In place of the chair with the disfigured corpse of Chen Lin was a table with crates filled with guns.

Stamped onto the lids of the crates was a picture of two pistols crossed like swords and the words "Armaments and Munitions".

Wally felt relieved. It worked.

Booker blinked a few times and he took in their surroundings as well. Elizabeth breathed "Look, no blood"

"And no body" added Booker.

Elizabeth looked around in curiosity "It's another world. Another Columbia"

"Sweet" said Wally.

Booker inspected the crates filled with guns. One of the crates had a small placard on it that read, "_Assets seized! By order of the Columbia Police Authority, Vox sympathizers" _. Booker observed, "Something tells me that one dead gunsmith isn't the only thing that's changed".

Elizabeth and Wally were about to ask Booker what he meant but they suddenly heard shouting in the distance.

The trio left the operating theater and climbed up the stairs. They passed a floor where there were dozens of cells where people were shouting and screaming threats. Wally blinked. Those weren't there before. As they climbed up the stairs, they passed some more cells where they were more like large cages instead of cells with vault like doors.

They reached the floor where Chen Lin was held and interrogated. There were more people shouting angrily and trying to slip through the bars of their cells.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth rushed past the cells and through a dirty interrogation room.

Booker scratched his head "I don't understand how Chen Lin could be alive now" "We're in a world where he was never murdered" explained Elizabeth "Somewhere, we'll find out why I suppose".

They passed a room filled with crimson banners with Vox Populi slogans on them, demanding equality and justice.

Wally muttered "An alternate universe" "Huh?" said Elizabeth.

The speedster shook his head "Nothing". Wally was surprised that they were in an alternate universe where Chen Lin was still alive. He was also thinking of what else might be different in this alternate universe.

Booker said to Elizabeth "I don't suspect you can change something like that and have everything else remain the same".

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth passed through the door that led to the cells and passed a few men who grabbing their heads in pain, groaning and moaning. Their bodies flickered and the air around them seemed to distort.

Booker's eyes widened "These men…I killed them"

"Not in this world" said Elizabeth. She squinted at them and she observed, "Their noses…their bleeding"

"What's happening to them?" asked Wally.

Elizabeth breathed, "I think they remember" "Remember what?" asked Booker

"Being dead" answered Elizabeth in a grim tone.

Wally shivered "Lets get out of here"

Booker nodded and they quickly left.

* * *

The three passed climbed up the stairs and passed through the dressing rooms like before and they found themselves back stage in the Good Time Club. Suddenly, a spotlight shone down on them and they heard Jeremiah Fink growl "_What is going on here, Sanderson!" _

Wally shielded his eyes from the spotlight and he saw the Good Time Club was perfectly undamaged from their battle with Fink's men. He also noticed that there was a bit of a change in décor but for the most part, the club was still the same. A door burst open and Fink's security officers poured in.

Booker and Wally open fired. Fink was screaming over the intercom "_As my head of security, I suspect you'll want to find out how these three slipped past your men and what they were doing in the basement!" _

Wally scoffed "Even in this world Fink is a total nut"

"You got that right" said Booker.

Once they cleared a path out of the lounge, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth made a quick exit.

Elizabeth noticed a wounded guard and commented "Hey! Back in our world, he was dead!"

"This whole other world thing is making my head hurt" mumble Booker.

Outside was relatively the same as their universe. The Good Time club was still a posh building while all around it were still low quality, shoddily built buildings.

Booker glanced to Elizabeth "Where to now?"

"The Gunsmith shop" said Elizabeth "Maybe Chen Lin will be there" "Sounds good to me" said Wally.

The three heard some shouts of Fink's personal security and Booker nodded "Good idea". With that they took off running before more guards arrived.

* * *

When they ran, a figure stepped out of the Good Time club. He was dressed in grey and he wore a fedora. His eyes were grey as storm clouds.

The man reached into his pocket and withdrew a rectangular, chrome communication device.

David's voice spoke on the other end "_What is it Bishop?" _

"We have a problem" said Bishop.

* * *

They reached Chen Lin's shop. It was the same as it was in their world, except it was silent as a grave. There was no loud machinery like back in their world.

As they hurried up the stairs to Chen Lin's workshop, the Buddha statue on the mezzanine was gone. A statue of Comstock replaced it.

Up in Chen Lin's workshop, they found him. The gunsmith was busy working away in his workshop. But strangely, the workshop was empty. There were no tools or any machinery for him to use. Despite the fact he had no tools or anything to use, Chen Lin continued as if he were working with invisible tools.

Booker and the others stared at the gunsmith curiously. Wally noticed that Chen Lin's body was flickering like the soldiers back at the Good Time club.

Booker spoke "Excuse me, Mr. Lin? Mr. Chen Lin?"

Chen Lin frowned in confusion and looked around the workshop "Who are you? Speak up. Speak up! Can't hear you over these machines!"

Booker spoke in a louder tone "I'm Booker DeWitt" but Chen Lin didn't hear.

The gunsmith held up a hand saying, "Stay back! These machines very dangerous, wait downstairs with Mrs. Lin"

"Daisy Fitzroy sent us" said Booker.

Chen Lin shook his head "Machines very dangerous, no place for stupid people". Booker tried to talk but the gunsmith ordered "Downstairs!"

Booker glanced to Elizabeth "What's wrong with him?"

Elizabeth shrugged "Remember he died in our world? Maybe in some way, he remembers that too. How would you reconcile that?" "I don't know" said Booker. The three decided to go downstairs.

On the mezzanine, they saw a woman praying near the statue of Comstock. Booker approached the woman "Excuse me, we're looking for Mrs. Lin"

the woman looked to the three and said "I'm Mrs. Lin"

Booker blinked "No, she's a little Chinese lady-" "Booker" said Elizabeth "This is Mrs. Lin".

Booker looked at the woman in surprise. She was white, had brown hair and blue eyes, a major difference from the Asian woman from their world.

Mrs. Lin sniffed "They took his tools. What's he got without his tools?" "Well your husband's a bit out of sorts" said Booker.

Mrs. Lin wiped away some tears "If he could work again maybe…if he could work he'd"

"Mrs. Lin" said Elizabeth gently "Could you tell us who took your husband's tools?"

"Goddamn Police" sniffled Mrs. Lin "They took them and locked them up in impound in Shantytown".

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth said goodbye to Mrs. Lin and they continued down stairs. As they left the gunsmith's shop, Elizabeth asked Booker "Is she right? Would having his tools fix his mind?"

Booker shrugged "Don't know. We won't be getting any guns if Chen Lin doesn't have his tools"

"Lets head to Shantytown" said Wally.

The three left the shop and they went in search of Shantytown.

* * *

As they searched, Elizabeth said to Booker "If you want to ask, then ask"

"Huh?" said Booker, looking off guard. She rolled her eyes "You were going to ask me about my finger?"

"I-I-I-uh" stammered the private investigator.

Wally glanced over and noticed that one of Elizabeth's fingers was shorter then the others and she wore a thimble on it to hide the fact.

Elizabeth smiled "It's alright. It's as much a mystery to me as anyone else. Maybe Songbird knows but he's not talking".

They continued the search and eventually found an elevator that led down to Shantytown.

As the elevator descended to Shantytown, Elizabeth said softly "You both must think me some kind of freak… a girl who can bring dead men back to life. Who's only acquaintance is a giant bird creature" She looked to Booker and Wally "I must seem ridiculous" "

"You just got dealt a bad hand" said Booker.

Wally nodded "Yeah. I've seen some real freaks in my time and I say that you are not a freak".

Elizabeth smiled a little "Thanks" she sniffed "But I'm not going back to that tower, no matter what happens" "They won't stop until they have you" said Booker.

Elizabeth frowned "But why? What did I do to them?"

"You frighten them," answered Booker.

Elizabeth crossed her arms "Good".

* * *

Shantytown laid beneath a thick sea of thick smog and pollutants. The town was cobbled together from a mixture of materials and slapped together. Thick smog blanketed the streets, making it hard to see and breathe. It also blocked out the sun, plunging Shantytown in perpetual night.

Wally saw small fires dotting the smog and people moving around in it.

Once the elevator came to a stop, the three stepped off the elevator and walked carefully into the smog to find the impound lot.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth passed a small fire where a group of people was huddled together. They passed a man who was preaching about the harsh working conditions at Fink Industries and the reason why the workers were paid only in Fink tokens and not in actual money.

A dozen people were listening intently.

Elizabeth saw people sleeping in alleys, doorways and on the sidewalk. She muttered "These people live like this because of Fink? Maybe Daisy is right. Maybe she should pay Fink back"

"Not before she pays us" said Booker "We're here for the guns and the airship".

As they traveled through the dirty streets of Shantytown, Wally was reminded of Pauper's Drop in Rapture. He was beginning to see a growing resemblance of the two cities. Maybe this was one of the reasons why Columbia wasn't mentioned in history, because of the horrible conditions, the violence and the horrid treatment of people of other races.

The speedster saw people eyeing them suspiciously. A few looked ready to attack. He kept a grip on his weapon and stayed close to Booker.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth passed a group of people kicking a broken vending machine and trying to steal some food from it. They passed under a bridge and weaved through a small cluster of huts.

Finally, they found the impound lot. Unfortunately, there was a small army of police waiting there.

Booker sighed, "This just keeps getting better and better".

* * *

The three fought their way through the army of police.

They managed to take care of the officers but they had trouble fighting the turrets that were stationed from a window on the upper floor of a nearby building. After dealing with the guards and the turrets, they hurried into the Bull House Impound.

The Bull House Impound was huge. It acted as police headquarters for the Columbian police in Shantytown and stored all the confiscated items they collected from all over Finkton.

Booker Wally and Elizabeth searched the building and found a variety of items. There weren't any police officers in the building. Wally guessed that they were all out on patrol or something.

When they searched the basement, they found Chen Lin's tools. The heavy machinery and all the materials the gunsmith needed were all gathered into a large pile and tied up with rope and chains.

Elizabeth smiled "There they are"

"Great" said Booker "All we need to do now is get them to the Vox and we get our airship".

Wally nodded "Good plan but how are we going to lug all that up a tiny elevator?"

Booker shrugged "I'm still working on that".

As Booker surveyed the large pile of equipment Elizabeth asked, "Who are we helping by getting the Vox these guns?"

"It's gonna help us" answered Booker. Elizabeth nodded and asked "Daisy can make a change can't she? Make things better for people here?"

"I hope so" said Wally "This place could use a serious overhaul"

"Sure" said Booker.

After making his final survey of the equipment, Booker sighed and scratched his head "Well, we sure as hell can't carry this stuff back to the shop"

"Maybe Superman could if he was here" muttered Wally. Booker and Elizabeth didn't hear him.

The private investigator shook his head grumbling, "God…we really didn't think this through".

Suddenly the tools vanished from in front of them. Booker blinked and he moved. The tools reappeared when he moved.

The private investigator frowned "What is that?"

"I think its another tear" said Elizabeth "It's another version of this room that doesn't have any tools in it".

Wally spoke "If the tools aren't in there then…" "Then they must be back at the shop" finished Booker and Elizabeth.

Booker nodded to Elizabeth "Open the tear" Elizabeth took a deep breath and focused. She expanded the tear.

Soon the entire room was bathed in white light like back at the Good Time Club and then the light died.

* * *

When the light faded, Wally saw that the gunsmith's machinery were gone and in their place were piles of crates that were filled with confiscated guns.

Elizabeth remarked "Well that did something"

"Come on" said Booker "Lets get back to the gunsmith and finish our deal. I aim to be on that airship and long gone from this place"

"Booker" said Elizabeth "If the Vox get their weapons there's going to be a revolution, like Les Miserables. These people are going to have better lives"

"Yeah" said Booker "Great, good for them."

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth made their way back up stairs. As they ascended the stairs, they heard soldiers shouting and gunshots. Suddenly the building trembled and there were more shouts.

A soldier shouted, "It's the Vox!" the three rushed through the building.

Soldiers were rushing back and forth, ignoring the trio. Outside there were shouts and sounds of weapon fire and explosions. Slowly the weapons fire and explosions faded and were replaced by the chanting of thousands of voices. The voices chanted one word, Vox.

Elizabeth's eyes widened "Do you hear that? Daisy's moved these people!" she looked to Booker "things CAN change and we can be a part of it, the three of us!"

"I don't want to be part of anything" said Booker "Once we get our airship, we're leaving this town".

* * *

When they left the Bull House impound, they found slain soldiers lying outside on the front steps.

Wally saw flashes of gunshot and heard the chanting of the people grow louder and louder. Nearby buildings were flying the colors of the Vox Populi and any other building bearing Fink or Comstock's name were changed or vandalized.

Echoing through the smog was Daisy Fitzroy's voice, "_Comstock say all this trouble, all this strife is on our heads, says we're to blame, say's ain't nobody got nothing to complain about and if its not time for you and yours, why, that's cause you're a backslider and you've fallen into sin. Hmph, let me tell you about sin, it's a sin when you turn on your tap and no hot water come out. It's a sin when you work 16 hour days and you can't see your young ones". _

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth stepped carefully through Shantytown. The entire town was at war.

Soldiers were shooting anything not dressed in the traditional Columbian uniform and Vox Populi troops struck back with equal force.

They back ran under the bridge and past a Vox soldier.

The Vox soldier blinked in surprise and stared at Booker in shock "Hey!" Booker stopped and looked at the man.

The man pointed at Booker "You're Booker DeWitt, the hero of the Vox" he turned and ran screaming about Booker.

The private investigator frowned "What was that about?"

"That" said Wally, pointing at a poster that was pasted to a wall. Booker and Elizabeth went to get a better look at the poster. It was a crimson in color and it had Booker's image on it with an inscription that read in yellow letters "_DeWitt, hero of the revolution!"_

"We're in another world" said Wally "We're not back in our world".

Elizabeth nodded "Apparently in this world, you're a hero Booker".

Booker stared at the poster in shock. It was new but something about it seemed very familiar. Some images flashed through his mind and memories settled into his brain. Booker muttered "I remember, I led the Vox and…Slate….and I…burned. Burned down the Hall of Heroes".

He could remember Slate grinning at him and telling him that if they were going to die, they will die like warriors as Comstock's troops attacked and the Hall of Heroes turned into a raging inferno then burying them both under a mountain of charred ruble.

Elizabeth said softly "Booker…your nose….you're bleeding".

Booker reached up and wiped away some blood. Suddenly an intense pain exploded in his head and he clutched his head. A tidal wave of images crashed through his mind, voices, names, locations that were unfamiliar to him and yet were. Soon, the images and the pain increased.

Booker winced and Elizabeth looked at him in concern "Are you ok?"

"Yeah" mumbled Booker "It's…hard to think, two memories in the same place".

Elizabeth grabbed his hand "Booker…come back to us, focus" Booker nodded and he concentrated on Elizabeth and Wally. The images started to fade and slid back into the back of his mind.

Elizabeth continued "We're going to find Daisy Fitzroy and we're getting out of here on the _First Lady"_ Booker nodded slowly as the pain began to subside.

She began walking, pulling Booker along by the hand "come on, let's go".

* * *

As they grew closer to the elevator, they heard Daisy Fitzroy shout over a loudspeaker "_Booker DeWitt died for this day! It was he who spoke with the voice of the people! The time is now to stand true to his cause!" _all across Shantytown the people cheered and roared.

Daisy bellowed, "_Now is the time for Fink to fall!" _the cheers grew louder and louder "_To the factory! Its time for the mighty to be laid low!"_

Wally, Booker and Elizabeth saw a large airship rise up out of the smog and Daisy shouting "_For the people, for DeWitt, for the true voice!" _

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth saw a clear shot to the elevator. The three ran and boarded the elevator.

As the elevator ascended, they heard music and laughter echoing from all around Shantytown. Fink's troops had fallen and the Vox Populi was in absolute control of Shantytown.

Elizabeth glanced to Booker "In this world…you were a martyr."

"These folk need a better class of hero" said Booker "When it comes down to it…the only difference between Comstock and Fitzroy is how you spell the name".

* * *

When the elevator came to a stop, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth exited the elevator to a ruined building.

They heard the whistling of rockets and the shouts of angry workers. Booker and the others quickly made their way out of the ruined building. The private investigator saw two Vigor bottles sitting on a nearby desk. One was a green bottle with a ram's head for a cap marked "_Charge"_.

The other was blue and had a Kraken on the label and was marked "_Undertow"._ He swiped them both and pocketed them for later.

Outside, they saw more posters of Booker and other Vox propaganda. In the distance, they heard gunshots and airships flying in from every direction. A squad of heavily armed Vox Populi soldiers rushed by and was heading towards the factory.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth made their way away from the fighting and towards the gunsmith's shop.

When they reached the gunsmith's shop, they found Chen Lin and his wife lying on the floor, dead. They were covered in blood and bullet wounds.

Elizabeth gasped, "No…this isn't what I meant to have happen."

"Elizabeth" said Booker

"They're dead Booker!" said Elizabeth.

Booker put a hand on her shoulder "Come on. Lets go to the factory, get our airship and get out of here". The three turned and left.

They walked towards the factory. Booker noticed that Elizabeth was still shaken up about the deaths of Chen Lin and his wife.

He told her "This isn't our responsibility, none of it. You just opened the door to this world and we stepped through"

"Are you sure?" asked Elizabeth "Did I just bring us to a world where was alive or…or did I create it?"

Booker and Wally stared at Elizabeth for a moment but didn't answer.

Elizabeth then said softly "I told you, I always thought my little trick was a form of wish fulfillment. I got my wish".

* * *

At the factory, the Vox Populi had already burst through the front gates and was currently trying to use a blowtorch to cut their way through another set of gates.

Daisy Fitzroy spoke "_Brothers and Sisters, I wish to speak plainly to ya. When you look at yourself you see a face of a person, yes? A human being. But do you know what Fink sees? Fink sees livestock."_

Soon her voice was drowned out when the Vox Populi soldiers finally cut through the doors. The doors swung open, revealing a thick wall of heavily armed soldiers and automated turrets.

The Vox soldiers, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth charged for the Factory.

The Vox, Booker and Wally fired on the soldiers who were blocking their way to the factory. Bullets whizzed around in every direction and explosions knocked people all over the place as if they were rag dolls.

They reached the front doors but they were locked. A soldier screamed "Look out!"

A rocket whistled through the air and struck a nearby pile of crates. Booker, Wally, Elizabeth and the Vox soldiers took cover as a Zeppelin bombarded the area around the factory in an effort to wipe out the Vox.

Booker heard a voice shout "Someone take out that damn zeppelin!"

"We got to take it out" said Booker.

Elizabeth looked at him in disbelief "Are we volunteering?" Booker didn't answer. The private investigator saw a sky rail running up and around some buildings and a part of the rail ran right by the zeppelin.

Booker turned to Elizabeth and Wally saying "I got an idea".

* * *

The three managed to board the zeppelin by hopping from the sky rail and onto one of the engine nacelles.

Booker told Elizabeth and Wally "We gotta take out the engines" "Right" said Wally nodding.

The three climbed into the zeppelin and went for the zeppelin's gondola. Booker found the main engine and he used his skyhook to destroy it.

As the zeppelin lost control and started falling out of the sky, Booker grabbed Elizabeth and dived out with Wally right behind him and they caught onto the sky rail and went straight back to the front doors of the factory.

The Vox Populi managed to break down the doors and the rebel army was pouring into the factory.

Elizabeth spoke, sounding out of breath "Booker…that was amazing"

Booker grinned "Come on, lets find Daisy" the three hurried into the factory with the Vox troops.

Stepping past the bodies of fallen Columbian soldiers, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth made their way deeper into the factory.

The Vox Populi were busy fighting the remaining number of Fink's troops. Some workers that were in the factory fled but some picked up weapons and joined the Vox troops in battling Fink's men.

Booker searched through the chaos and didn't see Daisy anywhere. She said that she was heading to the factory to take care of Fink but the leader of the Vox was nowhere in sight.

Booker nodded to an elevator on the far end of the factory floor "I bet that leads up to Fink's office"

"Daisy will probably be there" said Wally.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth rushed across the chaotic factory floor, past destroyed machinery and into the elevator.

The elevator carried up past the assembly lines on the upper floors. The assembly lines were automated and they carried on despite the uprising that was happing several floors beneath.

As the elevator ascended past the various assembly lines and factory floors, Elizabeth remarked, "They're good for each other, aren't they?"

"Who?" asked Booker

"Fitzroy and Comstock" answered Elizabeth. The elevator passed a floor where automated turrets were shooting moving targets that darted back and forth, trying to avoid being shot.

Elizabeth sighed, "Mr. Lin…May Lin…My God I…I was so set on getting to Paris, I didn't really think that-"

"You couldn't have known that this would happen" said Booker.

Elizabeth shook her head "I had a role in that catastrophe. If you want to pretend the we're purely innocents in this, that's your purgative, but-" Suddenly the elevator came to a screeching halt and the phone rang like before when they were heading to Finkton for the first time.

Booker picked up the phone "Hello…Fink?"

It wasn't Fink. It was Daisy Fitzroy. Daisy growled, "_I saw you die Booker. Saw it with my own eyes" _

"Fitzroy" said Booker "Look, I got your guns, I'm here for my airship".

Daisy continued "_But my Booker died for the Vox Populi so either you either an imposter or a ghost. My Booker DeWitt was a hero to the cause, a story to tell the children. You…you complicate the narrative"_ the line went dead.

The elevator began to move again and it came to a stop at the top floor offices where a squad of Vox Populi soldiers was lying in wait. They took aim and tried to shoot Booker and the others but Wally used his Vigor to knock the soldiers back and the three took off running.

The three ran down a long corridor of offices and climbed up a winding staircase that led up to the roof.

* * *

On the roof, Booker slammed the door shut behind them and melted the lock with Devil's Kiss. The roof had towering smokestacks around and a grand clock that told the time. Elizabeth saw a skylight and she peered inside.

Down below was Fink's office. She saw Fink on his knees in front of Daisy. Standing beside him was a young boy who looked absolutely terrified. Daisy held a gun to Fink's face. Booker and Wally went over and they saw the scene.

Fink was begging Daisy to not do something. She just grunted something and shot the businessman in the face, splattering blood all over the place.

The boy screamed and he ran away. Daisy looked up and saw the three. She glared at them and left Fink's office to chase after the boy.

A loud rumbling echoed through the air and Booker saw a Vox airship closing in on them. They heard angry shouts of Vox soldiers.

Wally groaned "Come on! Is everyone out to kill us!?" "Looks that way" said Booker. The trio took off running again.

They raced across the roof, ducking behind smokestacks and chimneys to avoid bullets and fireballs. Booker and Wally fired back but their shots had minimal effect on the airship. However, Booker and the others were able to lose the airship by hiding in the thick smog that came from the smokestacks.

Once they lost the airship, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth resumed running.

When they passed a window, Elizabeth skidded to a halt. On the other side of the window, Daisy was holding the boy by the throat and she held a gun to his head. Elizabeth shook her head "No…no, no, no!"

Booker and Wally rushed over and saw Daisy holding the boy at gunpoint.

Wally's eyes widened "She's going to kill him!"

"We have to do something" said Elizabeth "We have to get in there!"

Booker nodded. He searched around for a way in and he saw an air vent a few feet above them. He gave Elizabeth a boost and she climbed into the air vent.

Wally asked Booker "What do we do?"

"We distract Daisy" answered Booker. Booker went to the window and pounded on the glass. Daisy turned and she saw Booker and Wally. Her eyes widened in horror and she held the boy close to her as if she were going to use him as a shield.

Booker yelled, "Is this it? is this your movement, Daisy?"

"This is what needs to be done" argued Daisy "You see, the Founders they're nothing but weeds. Cut them down and they just grow back! If you want to get rid of the weed, you got to pull it out from the root"

"That's insane!" said Wally "You're going to kill an innocent child! If you do this, you'll be no better than Comstock or Fink"

Daisy hesitated for a moment. She debated with herself on her actions then she glared at the two and growled "It's the only way to be sure-" but suddenly Daisy went rigid and she let go of the boy. She dropped to her knees and began coughing up blood. Daisy continued gurgling up blood and she moved around then finally, she went still.

Wally and Booker looked up and saw Elizabeth standing there, holding a bloody knife.

Booker used the butt of his gun to smash open the window then he and Wally entered through the destroyed window. The boy ran away.

Elizabeth stood there, staring at the knife in her hands in horror. Booker spoke "Elizabeth?"

"I guess its all in my family" murmured Elizabeth.

Booker put an arm around Elizabeth "Come on, lets go" he pulled her away from Daisy's corpse and Wally followed closely behind.

Booker, Elizabeth and Wally walked down a long corridor that led to a gangway to the _First Lady _airship. Elizabeth went to a separate room and locked herself in. Booker and Wally were worried for Elizabeth but they quickly got the ship ready to depart before the Vox discovered Daisy's body.

Wally sealed the door shut and Booker set in the coordinates.

Carefully, Booker steered the airship out of dock and into the thick cloud of smog to avoid detection.

The airship started to accelerate and Booker heard a door close. He turned and saw Elizabeth. She looked completely different. She had cut her hair short and changed out of her bloodied dress into a blue and white dress. Wally recognized it from a painting from the Hall of Heroes. It belonged to Elizabeth's mother.

Elizabeth mumbled, "It was all they had".

Booker nodded and he said "Listen-"

"How do you do it?" asked Elizabeth. The private investigator frowned "How do I do what?"

"Forget" said Elizabeth "How do you wash away all that you've done?"

"You don't" said Booker softly.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and exhaled. Wally spoke up "You remind me of a friend of mine" "I do?" asked Elizabeth.

The speedster nodded "Yeah. His name was Jack. He had a horrible father who was like Comstock in a lot of ways. Well, one day Jack was forced to kill his father and he did".

Elizabeth looked at Wally in shock "Why?"

Wally shrugged "I don't know. His father was insane and he did some horrible things that forced Jack to make that decision"

"What happened to him?" asked Elizabeth.

Wally thought for a moment "Well, last i checked, he was in Paris with his girlfriend. He still feels horrible about killing his father and he still dreams of that moment. But, he eventually found a way to live with it and move on with his life".

Elizabeth pondered Wally's story and she smiled a little "Thanks".

* * *

A half hour passed and the airship was currently flying through some cloud cover.

Elizabeth looked to the airship's controls "So the moment of truth, New York or Paris?"

Before Booker or Wally could answer, there was a flash of light and a voice spoke "That's enough".

The three turned and saw a woman dressed in grey. She was pale, had white hair and emerald green eyes.

The woman said in a cold, business like tone "You have gone to far out of bounds. Adjustment's have to be made". She snapped her fingers and suddenly the world around them went white and then back to normal.

Down below was a vast blue ocean. Sitting on the surface of the ocean was a sprawling, golden city that gleamed in the sunlight. The woman frowned "Oops" she snapped her fingers again. The world around them went white and then normal. Ahead of them was the familiar sight of Columbia.

The woman nodded "Much better" she vanished in a flash of blue light.

Booker and the others shared a confused glance. Wally muttered "What the-?" but there was a high-pitched whistling sound. The whistling began to form a tune and Elizabeth's eyes widened in horror "No…no, no" a large bird shape flew past the bow of the ship.

Wally's heart jumped into his throat "Oh crap". It was Songbird.

Booker looked around the consol for a way to accelerate the ship "We got to make this thing go faster"

"Its going as fast as it can" said Wally.

Booker began pulling levers in the hope that it would make the airship go faster.

Elizabeth began to panic "There's got to be some sort of throttle or accelerator or something!" there was a high-pitched screech and Songbird rammed into the bow of the ship, knocking the three occupants off their feet.

The airship lurched and it began to fall right out of the sky.

Booker yelled, "Hold onto something!" the ship began to spiral out of control. Booker, Wally and Elizabeth were lifted off the floor then slammed back down abruptly, knocking all three of them out.

* * *

Daisy Fitzroy sat in her chair, waiting for word from DeWitt and the redhead.

So far, there was no reply or any sign that he had made contact with Chen Lin.

There was a knock at her door and her subordinate stepped into her office "There are two gentlemen here to see you"

"Show them in" said Daisy. The man left and returned with two very familiar men. Daisy ordered her subordinate to leave and he obeyed.

She glared at the two "What are you doing here Luthor? Savage?"

"We need to talk" said Lionel Luthor

"Indeed" said General Vandal Savage.

Daisy frowned "About what?"

"Chen Lin is dead" said Lionel bluntly.

Daisy's eyes widened in shock "What? How?"

"Fink and his Police force" answered Vandal "They caught a whiff of your scent and they sent in the dogs. They ripped apart our only gunsmith".

Daisy felt a great sense of loss and anger. Another good member of the Vox Populi tortured and murdered by that cruel monster Jeremiah Fink.

She looked at the two and asked "What else?"

"Well from the looks of it, your boy Booker had vanished" said Lionel.

Daisy blinked "What?"

"Booker vanished" said Vandal "Klarion saw them enter the basement of the Good Time club and haven't returned. He searched and found nothing"

"Could they have used a back exit or something?" asked Daisy.

Vandal's expression hardened "There is no back exit. Believe me, I know"

"Where did they go?" asked Daisy. Lionel and Vandal shrugged "We don't know".

The head of the Vox Populi sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead. This day just kept getting better and better.

Lionel piped up "There is also another problem?" "What is it?" asked Daisy.

Vandal answered bluntly "Your leadership" he drew his pistol and shot Daisy in the head.

The General grunted, "You are dismissed".

Lionel sighed, "It's a shame, she was a good woman"

"Yes" said Vandal "But we need to put an end to our growing problem. In order to do that, we need to take more drastic steps".

There was a puff of black smoke and Klarion appeared. He saw Daisy sitting slumped in her chair with a bullet hole in her head.

The lord of chaos whined, "Aw man, I missed it".

Lionel frowned "Tell me again, why are we betraying Fitzroy?"

"Because" said Vandal "Comstock has given us a better offer than Fitzroy would've given us if we continued working for the Vox Populi"

"Which is?" asked Lionel.

Vandal smiled "A whole new world for us to conquer".

Klarion rubbed his hands together gleefully "Goody".

* * *

Outside in the hall, John Friday heard everything and he spoke into his communicator "It is happening".

David replied "_Good, keep a close watch on them. For now, i shall pay a visit to young Mr. Ryan"._ John nodded and pocketed his communicator.

End of chapter

* * *

**(a/n: so, what do you think? please review!)**


	9. Ch 9: Emporia Has Fallen

**(a/n: Enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Ch.9: Emporia Has Fallen

Wally's eyes fluttered open and he felt a throbbing pain in his head.

The speedster pushed himself up and he glanced around. He saw that he was still aboard the airship. Except, the airship had crashed.

Wally remembered Songbird attacking the airship then he remembered getting knocked out. He slowly got to his feet and looked around for Booker and Elizabeth.

The speedster searched through the ruined deck of the airship and he eventually found Booker lying in front of the destroyed control consol.

Wally gently shook Booker awake. The private investigator groaned and he pushed himself up. A small trickle of blood ran down his face.

Booker groaned, "What happened?"

"That bird thing knocked us out of the sky" said Wally.

It took a moment for it to sink in and Booker nodded slowly "Right".

The speedster helped Booker to his feet. The two suddenly heard Elizabeth saying "Booker! Wally!"

"Elizabeth?" said Booker "What is it?"

"You got to help me stop them!" responded Elizabeth. They saw her trying to pry open the door.

Wally and Booker rushed to the door. Together, the two forced the door open and the three hopped out of the destroyed airship.

Wally heard someone trying to play a tune on a piano but the tune always came out off key. He saw a short distance away, Rosalind and Robert Lutece.

Rosalind sat in front of the piano trying to play and her brother stood by, telling her that she was playing the song wrong.

Elizabeth rushed over to the twins telling them "Stop it! You don't know what you're doing"

"How's this?" Rosalind asked her brother as she played the full tune.

Robert nodded in approval "That's it".

Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock "You've done it…he's coming back now! He's coming back!" Booker and Wally approached the three.

Rosalind looked up from the piano and said "Ah, hello dear. Welcome home. You've been away longer than we anticipated".

Booker was rubbing the back of his head asking, "What's going on?"

"They played the song that summons Songbird" said Elizabeth. Booker and Wally looked at the Lutece twins in shock.

The speedster asked them "Why would you do that?"

Robert sighed and said "The notes were correct" "But the instrument was not" finished Rosalind.

Robert continued "One needs both to get his attention" "But if you know how to sing to him…" said Rosalind

"He will take you where you need to go" finished Robert. He reached into his jacket and withdrew a small card then handed it to Booker.

Booker accepted the card as Elizabeth stared at the two in curiosity "Who are you?"

"We are…where we are needed" answered Rosalind cryptically

"And needed where we are" added Robert.

Booker understood what they were saying. Songbird could be controlled through music. They could somehow find the right song; maybe they can use the bird to get out of Columbia.

Booker asked, "Are there other songs? Something to keep him off our backs?"

"Perhaps you could ask the maestro himself" suggested Rosalind, nodding to the card in Booker's hand.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth looked at the card. The card had a picture of a mechanical man with an inscription that read "_Songbird Defense System"_

Wally nodded "Sounds good, so where is-" but he trailed off. Rosalind and Robert were gone.

Booker sighed "Of course" "Well at least they left the piano" said Wally. Booker and Wally pushed the piano aside revealing a narrow entryway.

The three passed the piano and entered through the narrow entryway.

On the other side, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth found themselves in a beautiful well-maintained plaza that was called "Prosperity Plaza".

The sky was a mixture of orange and blue with smatterings of white clouds, the sun was a dark orange that was slowly setting beyond the horrizon.

In the distance, they saw a number of large ritzy homes.

Elizabeth pointed to the furthest one "Look, its Comstock house. If we're going to find him, we should start there".

Booker nodded "Ok".

The three set off towards Comstock house.

* * *

As they made their way up the path through Prosperity Plaza, they saw an airship hovering near a dock. The deck of the ship was packed to the brim with luggage and people. A crewman yelled through a megaphone "_Hurry! The Vox are coming! We need to leave now!"_ near the dock was a large crowd of people, clamoring to get aboard the ship.

Wally saw that they all looked like they just crawled out of bed and threw on whatever clothing they had on.

Booker walked up to a man at the edge of the crowd and asked, "What's going on?"

"It's the Vox" answered the man "They've gone into a frenzy. They've been firebombing houses all over Columbia and the military and police have been fighting with them all morning. It turns out somebody finally had assassinated Daisy Fitzroy."

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth shared a nervous look then Booker asked the man "How did she die?"

"The way I heard it is that one of Comstock's men managed to get aboard the First Lady airship and shot her" said the man. He shivered a little "Now, the Vox are out for blood. We're looking to get out of here before things get really hairy".

Booker and the others left the crowd.

As they hurried through the Plaza, Booker asked Elizabeth "Ok, so which world are we in now?"

"I think we're back in our world" said Elizabeth "Remember, that lady said 'Welcome home' maybe she was welcoming us back to our world"

"Maybe" murmured Booker.

The private investigator found it odd that Comstock had Daisy assassinated. If he did, then couldn't he have already killed her a long time ago?

* * *

The trio stared climbing some stairs and weaved up through walkways that led up toward the mansions.

Suddenly, a voice cried out "There he is!"

Booker turned his head and saw a Vox soldier pointing in their direction. Booker drew his gun and shot the soldier.

But it was too late. Soon, more Vox troops began swarming towards them. Wally and Booker shot at the Vox soldiers.

A few went down but most of them found cover. The Vox troops had the three pinned down and were planning on sweeping up from behind but there was a flash of light. An automated gun turret attached to a small hot air balloon. The balloon hovered above the Vox and began peppering them with gunfire.

While the automated turret distracted them, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth made a run for it.

The three ran up a steep set of stairs and ran onwards past a row of houses.

Wally saw bodies of civilians scattered around the pavement next to their belongings. They were trying to flee the Vox Populi but were mercilessly cut down as they ran.

The speedster couldn't help but feel angry with the Vox. Most of the civilians that were slain were families and elderly.

While the people of Columbia weren't exactly pleasant or all around descent, Wally knew that there were some good people in this crazy city. The Vox were supposed to be a group who were fighting for justice and equality but from what he saw, Wally knew that they weren't fighting for justice anymore.

They were just going on a blind, ravenous and bloody rampage to avenge Daisy's death. They had to be stopped before they kill anyone else.

Booker yelled "Incoming!"

Wally and Elizabeth ducked as a rocket soared over their heads and struck a nearby lamppost.

Wally looked up and saw a group of red Vox Populi controlled airships move out from behind cloud cover. They were packed to the brim with angry Vox soldiers who were arming themselves.

The lead airship moved to launch more rockets at them but without warning, the lead airship exploded in a blazing crimson fire.

Wally, Elizabeth and Booker turned their heads and saw a trio of blue airships.

From the navy blue color of the hull, they were obviously being controlled by Comstock's troops.

Wally noticed some shapes on the deck of the lead blue airship. His eyes widened in horror. He saw Klarion the Witch Boy and Vandal Savage.

They were in Columbia? It actually sort of made sense. Vandal was always a tyrannical mad man and Klarion loves chaos and suffering. The two would obviously fit in with guys like Jeremiah Fink and Comstock.

Elizabeth saw Vandal and her eyes widened in shock "Uncle?"

"Uncle?" exclaimed Wally.

Vandal pointed at the Vox airships and bellowed an order to his subordinates. The airships began launching rockets at the enemy airships.

Some of the Vox ships took heavy damage in the first wave of rockets. Some of the undamaged ships moved to intercept the blue airships while the rest launched whatever they had down on Booker and the others.

Booker yelled to Elizabeth and Wally "Run!" the two obeyed.

They made a run for a nearby house. When Elizabeth and Wally reached the door, they burst through it.

Behind them, Booker weaved his way through the rocket bombardment of the Vox airships. The private investigator took cover in the house with Wally and Elizabeth.

* * *

The airships continued their bombardment, blanketing the area with fire and shrapnel.

For several moments, the airships continued their rocket fire. Then they slowly stopped. The commander of the lead Vox airship saw that the better-equipped Columbian military ships had decimated their other ships.

He barked over the radio "Retreat!"

As the weakened Vox Populi turn tail and ran, Vandal studied the burning section of Prosperity Plaza that they had bombarded like mad men.

Klarion asked, "Did they get 'em?"

"I think so" said Lionel, who climbed up from below deck.

Vandal shook his head slowly "No, they didn't. For now, we have other things to worry about".

The general turned and he marched over to the hatch then climbed below deck. Lionel and Klarion joined him. The lead Columbian airship took off and the others followed to pursue the fleeing Vox ships.

* * *

Several moments after the airships left, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth emerged from the charred ruins of the house they hid in.

Wally coughed up some dust out of his lungs. Booker brushed some ash off of his clothes and said, "Come on, let's get going".

The three resumed their journey.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth navigated their way past some more houses where there were more bodies.

Fortunately, they didn't encounter any more Vox troops or airships. The three came to a stop outside of a towering building at the end of Prosperity Plaza. A padlock prevented them from preceding any further. Elizabeth stepped up to the lock and began to pick it.

As she picked the lock, Wally asked Elizabeth "So…Vandal Savage is your Uncle?"

"Not really" said Elizabeth "When I was younger, he would visit me at my tower. I remember that he use to always let me rid around on his shoulders, tell me of life in Columbia and give me sweets" she smiled a little, recalling a happy memory of one of Vandal's visits.

Booker joined in the conversation "What is it with that song that brings in that bird?"

Elizabeth shrugged "It always has. Songbird started to visit me with Uncle Vandal. I always got excited when I heard that song"

"Excited?" questioned Wally.

Elizabeth nodded a little "They were all I had. They fed me, brought me books, brought me presents for my birthday. Songbird was my friend and Vandal was like the father I never had. Soon…Uncle Vandal stopped visiting me, Songbird was all that I had left." she sighed, "I always thought Uncle had been killed by some enemy soldier or he died in some far off battle. But I now suspect that Comstock told Uncle to stop visiting me. Then I grew up, and I hated Songbird. He wasn't my friend anymore, he was my warden".

She glanced over her shoulder to Wally and Booker "But he's just Comstock's pet, isn't he? Just like me". Neither Booker nor Wally said anything.

Finally, the lock clicked and Elizabeth murmured "There!"

Booker opened the doors and they entered the building.

* * *

Outside, there was a flash of light and a destroyed fire hydrant appeared in the middle of the plaza.

There was another flash of light and a dusty crate of rusty old weapons appeared. Several more flashes of light followed by several more odd objects appeared in Prosperity Plaza. Standing in the middle of the random appearing objects was John Friday and Bishop.

The two men in grey shared a blank look and John said emotionlessly "It is getting worse"

"Don't worry, it will be over soon" Bishop assured as a close approximation of a smirk appeared on his face.

* * *

Inside the building, Wally, Booker and Elizabeth found themselves in what looked like a ruined gondola station called Port Prosperity.

The inside was a mess. Benches knocked over, smashed windows and some bodies strewn across the floor covered in blood.

From the looks of things, Wally surmised that the Vox Populi looted the station for money and slaughtered anyone who was unfortunate enough to be there.

Elizabeth glanced around at the bodies in disgust saying, "Fitzroy and the Vox…they're no better than Comstock, aren't they?"

"Once people get their blood up, it ain't easy to settle it down again" said Booker.

Wally, Elizabeth and Booker carefully made their way through the station until they came out the other side.

Outside, dark clouds began to form. The wind began to pick up and the temperature grew colder. Wally saw Comstock house growing ever closer.

Elizabeth had a thought and said, "This prophecy business, you don't think anyone could really see the future. Do you?"

"I saw something once when I got here, a dream" said Booker. He explained, "I saw New York, but it was larger than any New York I ever saw and it was burning".

Wally shivered a little and spoke up "While we're on the subject of dreams, I had a dream myself". He explained that he also saw a city on fire, an endless sea dotted with thousands of identical lighthouses and John Friday.

Elizabeth frowned and said "Hmm…Hope none of the Prophet's 'magic' is rubbing off on you two".

The three continued on. They reached the area where the gondolas would arrive.

One gondola arrived and a pair of Vox soldiers stepped off, accompanied by a motorized patriot that resembled a demonic Abraham Lincoln.

* * *

After defeating the Vox soldiers and the Motorized Patriot, Wally, Booker and Elizabeth boarded the gondola.

Booker flipped the switch and the gondola slid out of the station.

As the gondola followed the line up towards Comstock House and the other extremely ritzy houses, Elizabeth gasped.

Booker and Wally looked at her "What?" asked Booker.

Elizabeth spoke "I just figured out who those two are"

"Who?" asked Wally "That red haired woman and that man" answered Elizabeth.

She explained "They…or at least she…invented the technology that allows the city to float"

"Giant balloons?" said Booker.

Elizabeth shook her head "Quantum Particles, suspended in space-time at a fixed height".

Booker frowned "So…NOT giant balloons?"

Wally whistled "Quantum Particles…she's ahead of her time. Way ahead."

Elizabeth nodded and her voice lowered to almost a whisper "But the thing is...my book said they disappeared years ago".

Suddenly they heard Robert say, "I told you they'd come" "No you didn't" said Rosalind.

Robert said, "Oh, right, I was going to tell you that they'd come" "But you didn't" said Rosalind

"But I don't said Robert "You're sure that's right?" asked Rosalind.

Elizabeth, Wally and Booker looked out the window and saw the Lutece twins standing on a floating billboard. The gondola passed them by and passed by another floating billboard where the twins stood and waved at them.

Elizabeth said, "Something tells me that they're not what they seem".

Wally watched, as the twins keep appearing on floating billboards ahead of the gondola, debating about things that made the speedster's head spin.

Elizabeth said "They seem to want to help" "They seem to be out of their minds" said Booker.

The gondola drew closer to a solid wall of concrete and steel that enclosed Comstock House and the ritzy neighborhood it was in. They passed the twins who were waltzing on a floating platform next to a phonograph that was playing music.

Elizabeth wondered aloud "How do you suppose they manage that?"

"I'll get back to you when I figure out the floating city bit" Booker said dryly.

The gondola passed through an opening and into a grand station.

When the gondola came to a halt, Booker cocked his gun saying "Come on, Comstock House is just up ahead". The three disembarked the gondola and left.

* * *

Several minutes after they left the gondola, a second gondola pulled into the station.

A figure disembarked and glanced towards a doorway that led further into the station.

He cocked his weapon and the he followed behind his targets from a safe distance.

* * *

Wally, Booker and Elizabeth climbed up a flight of stairs and past a poster that read, "_The seed of the Prophet shall sit the throne"._

Elizabeth read it and she muttered, "He was grooming me, wasn't he?"

"Comstock? Yeah I think so" said Booker.

Elizabeth frowned "But why lock me up?" Booker and Wally shrugged.

As they made their way through the grand station, their footsteps clacked loudly on the polished marble floors. Booker noticed that the station was pretty vacant. There were some piles of luggage lying around here and there, but there were hardly any people.

"Must've evacuated in a hurry" Wally mused "Fighting in the streets and the army evacuates as many civilians as possible" "Probably" said Booker.

Further into the station, they found a squad of Vox soldiers patrolling around.

* * *

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth fought through the Vox squad and continue on wards until they reached a set of turnstiles.

On the other side of the turnstiles, the trio found an elevator but it had a lock that required a code.

Elizabeth said "In my book, it says that most fools keep the combination for these locks nearby"

"Lets hope we can find these fools" said Booker.

Booker, Wally and Elizabeth split up and searched around the surrounding area. Eventually, Booker found the code written down on a slip of paper under a stack of books. He reached down to pick up the paper and Elizabeth's hand brushed up against his. The two stopped for a moment and looked at each other.

Wally said as he searched around a nearby ticket counter "You know, for someone who's been locked up in a tower, you sure know a thing or two about codes and locks"

"If you put someone in a cage, they develop an interest in such things" said Elizabeth, staring at Booker. Her face grew red and she quickly withdrew her hand.

Booker coughed and he memorized the code.

Before he could move to enter the code into the elevator's lock, the three heard a familiar tune being whistled a short distance away. Wally glanced around until his eyes landed on a gold statue of Comstock that was whistling the tune.

Elizabeth hissed, "Hide!"

Booker, Wally and herself ducked behind a counter. None of them moved or even breathed. They heard the loud wing beats of Songbird.

Songbird let out a loud screech and there was a loud crash. Wally slowly got up and he took a quick peek over the counter.

Songbird stuck its massive head through the window behind the counter and its glowing, ocular devices were whirring about trying to find them.

Wally quickly got down before Songbird could notice. The three waited in tense silence.

Finally Songbird let out one last earsplitting screech and departed. Once they were sure that the giant mechanical bird was gone, Elizabeth, Wally and Booker got up and rushed over to the elevator.

Booker punched in the code and the three boarded the elevator.

* * *

As the elevator hurried along to their next destination, Booker and Wally noticed that Elizabeth looked terrified.

Wally nudged Booker in ribs and mouthed, "_say something". _

The private investigator sighed and spoke "Elizabeth, we will stop him. We won't let that bird get you"

Elizabeth shook her head slowly "No. That is an oath you both can't keep". She turned to face her two companions and said as her voice began to break "Promise me, if it comes to it, you will not let him take me back".

Wally noticed her eye moving towards Booker's gun. The speedster swallowed and didn't say anything. Elizabeth was pretty keen on not getting captured by Songbird, if she was asking them to promise that they would kill her if there were a chance if she was being dragged back to Comstock.

Booker placed a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder and said, "It won't come to that, alright?" Elizabeth nodded slowly.

Wally glanced out the window of the elevator that gave an impressive view of Emporia, the neighborhood where the elite of Columbia lived.

It was something similar to Olympus Heights in Rapture, except Emporia was even grander than it's Rapture counter part. Emporia's buildings were designed and built by the finest architects and workers in Columbia. The streets were wide, lined with hedges and trees that were well cared for. Towering statues of angels and Comstock dotted Emporia's skyline. It was a sight to behold.

However, the luxurious quarter of Columbia was currently on fire.

Dotting the sky were multiple airships. Some were Vox, other's were the Columbian military's. The Vox were bombarding sections of Emporia with rockets and cannon fire. In the streets were scattered skirmishes between the two armies. Chocking black smoke filled the sky, blotting out the sun.

Elizabeth, Wally and Booker stared in awe at the battle. Elizabeth breathed, "They're tearing the city apart".

The elevator came to a sudden halt. There was a loud snap and the elevator tilted. Wally glanced up and realized that one of the cables must've snapped.

Booker kicked the window and shattered the glass. He pointed to a sky rail that ran beneath them that led to the thoroughfare "Follow me".

Booker took Elizabeth and jumped out the window, Wally followed. The three used skyhooks to catch onto the rails and slid down to the thoroughfare.

Once they hopped off the sky rail, Booker and the others took off running.

* * *

The three rushed through the chaotic warzone.

Vox Populi troops were scrambling across rooftops in an attempt to bypass Columbian barricades but the airships bombed them each time.

In the middle of the chaos, a large blue airship hovered in place in the middle of a tight knit group of airships.

Vandal and Klarion looked down at the chaos and bloodshed around Emporia. The lord of chaos breathed in the ash and smoke.

"Beautiful" Klarion murmured, completely intoxicated by the battle "Sweet, sweet chaos".

A rocket streaked across the blackened sky and hurtled towards their ship. The lord of chaos lifted a hand and lazily waved. The rocket bounced off an invisible barrier and was redirected to a nearby Vox ship.

* * *

Down below, Booker, Wally and Elizabeth rushed down a street. It was the least crowded and had hardly any soldiers on it.

A rocket detonated and tore apart the upper floors of an apartment building. Wally flinched and shielded himself from the falling debris.

Over the canopy of gunshots and explosions, the trio heard a familiar roar.

Elizabeth looked up to the blackened sky and exclaimed "Handyman!" Wally and Booker looked up.

They saw a Vox airship spiraling out of control. The ship was in flames and was spewing black smoke. Booker and the others took cover as the airship crashed into a building mere yards ahead of them. Wally saw a large, hulking shape emerge from the thick curtain of smoke and fire.

The half man, half machine brute brushed himself off like the crash and the fire were just minor scratches.

Booker muttered, "Crap".

The Handyman's eyes locked onto Wally and Booker. The metal behemoth growled and let out a roar that rattled their bones.

Booker went for his gun but the Handyman bounded at them on all fours like an animal and he swatted Booker aside with his giant, metal fist.

Wally managed to grab his gun and he fired at the Handyman's heart.

The Handyman managed to block the bullet with its hand and he knocked Wally aside with its other hand.

Elizabeth was alone now. The Handyman moved to grab her but Elizabeth turned and ran.

Elizabeth fled down the street and ducked down a side street but she came to a dead end. With nowhere to run, the Handyman followed her to the back street and he reached for Elizabeth but suddenly his heart exploded in a shower of glass and blood.

The mechanical man froze for a moment as if he were trying to process what had just happened, then collapsed at her feet with a loud thud.

Elizabeth stared in shock at the fallen Handyman. She looked up and Elizabeth saw her rescuer standing there at the entrance of the backstreet.

Her eyes widened in surprise "You?"

* * *

Wally and Booker picked themselves up off the ground. They looked around and saw that Elizabeth and the Handyman were gone.

Booker's face drained of all its color "Oh no"

He yelled "Elizabeth! Elizabeth!"

"What?" Elizabeth responded. The private investigator turned and saw Elizabeth standing there.

Booker blinked a few times and asked, "Where were you?"

"I ran and the Handyman had me cornered" Elizabeth explained calmly.

Wally asked, "How'd you get away?" "He saved me" said Elizabeth. She gestured to someone behind her.

Wally and Booker looked and saw Elizabeth's rescuer. Wally's eyes almost jumped out of his skull. Standing there was a young man in his early twenties. He was dressed in a grey Columbian Military jacket with a cap sitting atop his head. He carried a rifle in his hands. The young man had raven hair and a pale complexion that was covered in soot and grime.

The young man took off his cap and bowed his head a little "Nice to meet you, I'm Jack Ryan. How can I be of assistance to you today?"

End of chapter

* * *

**(a/n: So, what do you think? Please review!)**


	10. Ch 10: Dead Man's Hand

**(a/n: Well ladies and gents, we're almost to the end. Here's a super long chapter. Please enjoy and review!)**

* * *

Ch.10: Dead Man's Hand

Wally almost tackled Jack. He embraced Jack as if he were a long lost brother. It had felt like an eternity since the speedster saw a familiar or friendly face in all his time in Columbia. Wally didn't know how Jack was there and he didn't care.

Jack broke the embrace saying, "I know, I love seeing me too"

"It's great to see you again!" Wally said with a wide grin on his face "How did you get here?"

Jack shrugged "Hell if I know. One minute I was in Paris, the next I was here with a note, a change of clothes and a weapon".

Booker studied Jack for a moment and asked, "What do you want?"

"I just want to help" said Jack "From the looks of thing's, you could use it".

Booker glanced to Wally and the speedster nodded "We can use all the help we can get".

Eventually, Booker relented and said, "Ok, you can help".

Jack smiled "Great! Now, can someone tell me what the heck is going on around here?"

"I'll explain on the way" said Elizabeth. Booker, Wally, Elizabeth and Jack took off at a brisk pace before any Vox or Columbian troops happen upon them.

* * *

The four ducked into a narrow alley that led into a street called Harmony Lane. The street ran through Emporia and led up towards Comstock House.

As they ran, Elizabeth explained the situation to Jack. Wally helped fill him in on something's.

When the explanations were out of the way, Jack spoke "Well…this is quite a mess" "I know" said Wally.

Jack glanced around the buildings around them and said, "If dad saw this place…he'd probably pop a blood vessel or shake hands with the one who built it".

Wally didn't mention that he met a young Andrew Ryan and Brigid Tenenbaum at a gondola station near Battleship Bay. The speedster figured that it would be better to tell him later.

The four followed the road up a steep incline. When they went around a corner, they saw a Fireman standing in their way.

The Fireman bellowed "Die!" he moved to lob a fireball at them but Jack snapped his fingers, encasing the man in ice.

Wally, Elizabeth and Booker looked at him in surprise. Jack shrugged "What?"

"I didn't know you could do that" said Wally

"Me neither" Jack said, sounding just as surprised as Wally "I was trying to set him on fire but the ice works too".

Further up the road, the small group passed through a quiet, less chaotic part of Emporia. The sounds of battle started to grow a little fainter as they traveled up the road. Jack whispered to Wally "This whole thing reminds me of the Rapture Civil War"

"Really?" said the speedster.

Jack nodded and explained, "A while back, when Rapture was down on hard times, Fontaine became Atlas and he pretended that he was a champion of the people. He and his group fought for equality and all that stuff. But in reality, he was only looking to bring down my dad and escape Rapture with whatever he could carry".

Wally thought of Frank Fontaine, the businessman who masqueraded as an Irish man named Atlas. What Jack said rang true. Wally saw some similarities between what Daisy Fitzroy, the Vox and Atlas.

Except, Daisy was mad enough to do almost anything to tear down Comstock and Fink out of hatred, while Fontaine on the other hand manipulated people to further his goals and wanted to escape the undersea madness of Rapture with all its wealth.

Wally asked Jack "What happened? In the end?"

"The city descended deeper into madness and became the hellhole we now know it" Jack said grimly.

Wally nodded and said "If you think Fontaine was bad, there's a guy named Jeremiah Fink who would give him a run for his money".

A few feet behind them, Booker and Elizabeth were having their own discussion.

Elizabeth spoke in a hush voice "I've been thinking about that dream you had…New York on fire" "Yeah?" said Booker.

Elizabeth frowned and said, "There's something about it…" but she trailed off.

* * *

Black storm clouds started to form. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled loudly. The four reached an empty square called Z.H. Comstock Victory Square. Standing at the center of the square was a statue of Comstock in a heroic pose with a sword in hand. At the base of the statue were a few bodies of civilians.

Jack and Elizabeth stood there, staring up at the statue.

Jack murmured, "Jeez, even my dad wasn't this egotistical"

Elizabeth glanced at Jack and asked, "Your father…the one you killed?"

Jack paused and looked to the woman "Yeah. Wally told you?"

Elizabeth nodded and said, "Comstock's my father"

Jack winced "Ouch, sorry".

Elizabeth smiled a little "I just wanted to know…how do you deal with a father like him" she nodded to the towering statue of Comstock.

Jack smiled a little "Well, let me tell you how you can live with having an egomaniacal, psychotic dictator for a parent"

A short distance away, Booker and Wally were searching for Salts and ammunition. The private investigator glanced over to the statue where Jack and Elizabeth were talking. He frowned a little.

Booker stared at two for a few moments. The two looked…similar. They didn't look identical but Booker noticed that they had some noticeable similarities between them. Maybe even have some physical resemblance. Also, Booker began to realize why Jack looked so familiar.

Jack was the one on the other side of the tear at Monument Island and in Elizabeth's sketch in her room. He was also in Booker's dream. Jack was standing there in his office with John Friday, while outside New York burned.

Something about Jack felt wrong with Booker. He didn't know what but he'd just have to wait and see what that was.

* * *

Booker, Wally, Elizabeth and Jack finally reached their destination.

The four stood at the bottom of a small flight of steps that led to a massive gate, which guarded Comstock House.

Elizabeth spoke, sounding nervous "Beyond that gate is Comstock House".

Jack noticed some candles, a small portrait of a woman in blue and a few odd looking devices at the foot of a statue of a woman. He knelt down and picked up one of the devices. Carefully studying it in his hands, Jack asked Wally "What are these?"

"Voxophones" answered Wally "Recording devices".

Jack's eyebrows rose a little and muttered to himself "Quite sophisticated for early twentieth century America". He set the Voxophone down and the group approached the gate.

At the gate, there was a silver lock with a handprint scanner and a silver, automated lion head.

Once they were close enough, an automated voice spoke "_Ah, Lady Comstock how lovely to see you! Wonderful of you to make the journey, especially considering your painful death 19 years ago."_

"Creepy" muttered Jack.

Booker glanced over at Elizabeth "Lady Comstock?"

"The dress" Elizabeth murmured "The thing is mistaking me for my mother". She put her hand on the scanner and the voice spoke "_Your fingerprints don't seem to be your own, Lady Comstock. Are you unwell?"_

"This ain't going to work" said Booker.

Elizabeth nodded "Yes it is". Booker, Wally and Jack stared at her for a moment.

Jack spoke up "But…your mother is dead"

"Yes" Elizabeth said as thunder crashed over head "I think its time I paid my respects" she walked past the three saying "Lets go to where she is buried".

* * *

Memorial Gardens Cemetery was silent. In the distance, the blackened sky was tinged with flashes of red and orange. Thunder drowned out the sounds of the battle.

Booker, Wally, Jack and Elizabeth searched through the silent cemetery.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Booker asked as he searched a section of the cemetery.

Elizabeth pointed towards a crypt "There it is"

"How do you know?" asked Booker.

Jack piped up "Its kinda hard to miss".

Booker turned and saw a large crypt that had a pair of angel statues guarding the entrance and a large sign hanging above the entryway saying "_Our Lady's memorial". _

Jack used his Telekinesis Plasmid to open the gates.

Inside the crypt was a glass casket with a woman resting inside it. Behind the casket was a large hearth with a fire crackling away and a large portrait hanging above the fire.

Jack inspected the crypt and said softly "Seems like your dad really loved your mother. Unlike my folks…"

Wally inspected the glass casket. The woman occupying it had raven hair, pale skin and a face that would make men stop in their tacks.

Wally looked up at Elizabeth "Your mother…she looks well for someone who has been dead for 19 years"

"They have her preserved in an airtight chamber" Elizabeth explained. She approached the casket saying "Her fingerprints will get us into Comstock house".

Jack, Wally and Booker shared worried looks. Booker spoke "She's your mother"

"A mother who abandons her child doesn't draw a lot of sympathy in my book" Elizabeth said coldly.

Jack muttered under his breath "Neither would an overbearing psycho who molds her own child into a weapon".

Wally said, "Just take a moment to think about what you're doing"

"Yeah, I've done a lot of crazy things and I'm not too keen on adding grave robbing to that list" said Jack.

Elizabeth didn't say anything. From the expression on her face, Booker and the others knew that she was adamant. Booker sighed and said "Let me do it"

"No" said Elizabeth but Booker insisted "LET ME do it".

Elizabeth relented. Booker moved to open the casket but suddenly the fire behind them died, plunging the group into perpetual darkness.

Without warning, a spotlight flickered on and shone down on Elizabeth.

Comstock spoke over a hidden speaker "_You see child? You chose to follow a false shepherd and a lost boy and they have led you astray!"_

"Who the hell?" murmured Jack. Booker answered Jack's question by growling at the hidden speaker "Comstock".

Suddenly, Elizabeth's body began to glow bright white and blue. She screamed and her entire body began to shake violently.

Comstock said in a pained tone "_What I do, I do for love!" _"You have no idea how many times I heard that one before!" said Jack.

Comstock continued "_What lion does not cringe to see their cub in pain?"_

"Please stop!" begged Elizabeth.

Comstock didn't hear her plea. He continued speaking "_If you won't listen to me, then perhaps you'll listen to your mother!"_ suddenly an arch of blue-white energy erupted form Elizabeth and struck the casket. The casket shattered into a million pieces.

A glowing figure emerged from the casket and floated over to Elizabeth. Booker, Wally and Jack saw that it was Elizabeth's mother. Her body glowed bright white and her face had been changed to that of a feral beast.

She hissed at Elizabeth and vanished in a flash of white light.

Elizabeth swayed a little and Booker helped steady her. She mumbled "I'm…I…how…she?"

"Elizabeth, are you alright?" Booker asked in concern.

Elizabeth looked around the darkened crypt and asked, "Where did she go?"

"Just hold on a moment, you need to rest" said Booker.

Elizabeth shook her head saying, "I need to get that hand"

"Elizabeth, why is your mother a ghost?" asked Wally in a slightly panicked voice.

Elizabeth spoke, sounding angry and confused, "She's not, he…used me to power some kind of device to...open some kind of a tear".

Jack spoke up "How about we get going before something even weirder happens?"

* * *

Booker and Wally opened the gates. The four left the crypt and out in the cemetery, they saw Lady Comstock floating a few yards away. Her body glowed a faint pearly white and she looked translucent.

Her eyes were locked on to Elizabeth. The ghost howled, her voice echoed through the cemetery "_Not of my womb! Child! Child! You are the lie that spewed from my womb!"_

She lifted her hands to the sky and arch's of energy erupted from her fingertips. The cords of energy struck some of the graves around her and there were brief flashes of light. When the flashes stopped, the four saw corpses standing over their graves and in the blink of an eye, they were restored to their original shape.

Lady Comstock pointed to Elizabeth and screamed something. The revived corpses charged.

Booker, Wally and Jack fired at the corpses while Lady Comstock hovered high above the cemetery screaming "_Lies! Lies! Lies!"_

"What's happening?" yelled Elizabeth.

Jack fired a shot that took the head off of a man who tried to sneak up on Elizabeth from behind.

He answered rather casually "It seems that your mother is raising the dead".

Booker glanced at Jack and observed, "You're taking this rather calmly. I thought this would throw you, considering that these guys just crawled out of their graves and are trying to kill us"

Jack shrugged "Why should this throw me? I'm in a flying city thousands of feet in the upper atmosphere, in a graveyard, battling zombies and a ghost. Oh yeah and it's 1912!"

One by one, the corpses fell. Eventually, with the first batch of revived corpses fell, Lady Comstock summoned more.

Jack used Telekinesis to slam a gravestone over a corpse's head and fling a few bodies around. Wally used his Vigor to knock out a few corpses.

Booker fired at Lady Comstock who continued howling "_Lies! Lies! Lies!"_

A strong gust of wind blew through the cemetery as Lady Comstock pulled a large headstone from out of the ground and chuck it at Jack.

Jack ducked in time as the stone sailed over his head and crashed against a tree.

He glanced over to Elizabeth and asked "What did you do to piss her off this much?"

"I don't know" said Elizabeth, who wanted to ask her mother the same question.

Wally noticed that Lady Comstock was focused more on Elizabeth and Jack then on Booker and himself. The speedster yelled to Jack "Jack! Keep her busy!"

"No problem!" Jack yelled back. He got fired a few rounds at the ghost shouting, "Come get some you old hag!"

Lady Comstock snarled at Jack and she swooped down at him. Jack ducked and he used his Incinerate Plasmid to lob a fireball at the ghostly woman. The fireball struck Lady Comstock square on the back but it didn't seem to faze her. She spun around and hissed angrily.

Jack mumbled "Well that's not good"

Before he could react, she grabbed him by the throat. She grabbed Elizabeth as well and she pulled the two off the ground. Lady Comstock glared at the two. Both, Jack and Elizabeth tried to struggle free but the ghostly woman held onto them.

She snarled "_Not of my womb. The two of you…born from that vile, wretched woman and that liar! He lied to me! Lied! Lied! Lied!" _

"The hell are you talking about?" Jack spat out as Lady Comstock tightened her grip around his throat "You're crazy! I don't even know you" he glanced over to Elizabeth "Hell…I barely even know her!"

"_Lies! More lies!" _hissed Lady Comstock "_You're just like him. The both of you are just like your father!"_

"Lady, my dad is dead" said Jack "And I'm sure he would've mentioned something about a crazy ghost lady or some whacked out extremist with a flying city".

Booker and Wally tried to aim at Lady Comstock but she was holding Jack and Elizabeth pretty close.

Neither of them fired Booker grunted "Damn! I can't get a clear shot" "Me neither" said Wally.

Suddenly a voice spoke "Step aside". The two turned and saw John Friday standing there. He withdrew a futuristic, chrome pistol from his jacket and took aim at Lady Comstock. Once he had his target in sight, he pulled the trigger.

A bolt of blue energy shot out of the pistol, whizzed past Jack's ear and struck Lady Comstock in the face.

Lady Comstock howled in pain and she dropped Elizabeth and Jack. Booker ran over and he caught Elizabeth in his arms.

Jack landed on solid ground and he moaned "Oww".

Lady Comstock shrieked and thrashed around in the air. Her body began to glow a blinding white light and with one final scream, Lady Comstock fell and when her body hit the ground, it vanished.

Booker, Wally, Elizabeth and Jack gathered around where Lady Comstock's body vanished.

Jack rubbed his sore throat saying, "So…what was that about?" "I have no idea" said Wally.

Booker glanced at Jack and Elizabeth "She kept going about you two. Something about lies and you being born from some vile woman"

"You're saying that she thinks that we're related?" said Jack pointing to himself then to Elizabeth.

Booker shrugged "I don't know. But something about this whole thing stinks".

Wally turned to thank John Friday but he saw that the man in grey had vanished.

A small clump of dirt landed by Elizabeth's foot. She glanced over and saw only a few feet away, the Lutece twins standing in short holes digging away as a small lamp provided a faint orange light. Elizabeth saw that both of their holes had a headstone with their last names on them.

She realized that they were digging their own graves.

Booker walked up to the twins and asked, "What was she? Was she alive or dead?"

Robert and Rosalind didn't look up. Robert asked "Why do you ask 'what'?" "When the delicious question is 'when'?" said Rosalind.

Robert nodded "The only difference between past and present" "is semantics" finished Rosalind.

Robert recited, "Lives, lived, will lived" "Dies, died, will die" chimed Rosalind as she tossed another shovelful of earth out of her grave.

Robert looked up at the group saying "If we could perceive time as it truly was"

"What reason would grammar professors have to get out of bed?" asked Rosalind.

Jack rubbed his head muttering, "This is giving me a headache. Just speak plain English!"

Robert nodded "We are. Like all of us, Lady Comstock exists across time and space" "She is both alive and dead" added Rosalind

"She perceives being both" said Robert. Rosalind nodded and said "She find's this condition…disagreeable".

Robert frowned "Perception without comprehension…" "…Is a dangerous combination" finished Rosalind as she leaned against her shovel.

Wally noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and he looked down at the ground. Blinking into existence like a flickering flame, a trail of luminous blue footsteps appeared and led out of the cemetery. Booker, Elizabeth and Jack looked and saw them too.

Jack frowned "Where do you suppose those lead?" "She goes to unfinished business" answered Rosalind.

Booker began to follow the trail "Come on. We got to convince her to help us open the gates to Comstock House".

Wally and Elizabeth followed after him.

* * *

Jack stopped and glanced back to where the Lutece twins were and saw that they were gone.

He turned to follow Booker and the others but he stopped when he came face to face with a man in a grey suit.

The man had sapphire eyes and deep lines on his extremely pale face. The man held up a hand and Jack's body froze.

The man leaned forward and spoke in an emotionless tone "Condition: Blue, continue your present mission. Once you receive the signal, activate".

The man snapped his fingers and suddenly Jack found himself alone in the cemetery with no memory of the man. Jack blinked a few times and he left the cemetery to catch up with the others.

* * *

Booker, Wally, Elizabeth and Jack walked down the road, following the glowing footprints.

However, they came to an abrupt halt when they saw the Lutece twins standing in their path.

Robert said "It's a shame that you have need of her to enter Comstock house" "Frankly she doesn't seem all that cooperative" said Rosalind.

Wally rolled his eyes "Could've fooled me".

Robert frowned at Wally and said "there is a way to bring her to reason" "Three truths you must discover first" said Rosalind

"Truth's that Comstock has destroyed" said Robert. "If only one of you had the power to alter time and space" said Rosalind sarcastically.

Robert smiled "That would be a blessing wouldn't it?" his sister nodded in agreement.

There was a flash of lighting and the twins vanished before their very eyes.

"Well…they're sarcastic" said Booker. The group carried on.

* * *

As they followed the trail of glowing footprints through the eerie, empty neighborhood of Emporia, Elizabeth said, "There's something…off about Lady Comstock"

"Yeah, we noticed" said Booker.

Elizabeth shook her head "N-no you don't understand. She doesn't belong here. I brought something through, I'm just not sure if its her".

Jack asked Wally "Can you tell me what's going on?" Wally gave Jack a brief explanation of Elizabeth's abilities, the tears and their adventures through some of the alternate realities.

When Wally finished his explanations, Jack looked at him in utter shock saying "Well…you've been busy"

"Tell me about it" murmured Wally.

Suddenly the four came to a halt. The footprints trailed into a ruined house that had been burnt to the ground by a stray rocket. Wally heard some faint music and a hissing sound that sounded like static. The four approached the burnt house and saw a slim, red tear in the middle of the doorway.

Jack frowned and he cautiously inched towards the tear. He listened and he hummed a few bars of the song.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow "You know that song?" "Yeah, my little sisters play this song a lot" said Jack.

Wally listened and it he realized that the song was "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun".

Without warning, the tear snapped shut and the music ended abruptly. Booker glanced around at the destroyed house and wondered aloud "What is this place?"

"Albert Fink's house" answered Elizabeth. She sighed, "I use to like his music".

Jack looked down and saw a new set of footprints leading away from Albert Fink's house. Booker, Wally, Elizabeth and Jack left the ruined home and continued to follow the trail.

* * *

The trail led them to the Market District of Emporia. The Market District was like any other market.

It had various shops and stalls that sold various products but the only difference was the price and quality of products.

As they followed the trail of glowing footprints, Elizabeth and Jack got to know each other a little better.

Jack spoke a bit of his family. He also talked a little bit about Paris. When the subject of Paris came up, Wally asked, "What were you doing in Paris?"

"Just traveling around with Eleanor" said Jack.

Elizabeth asked, "Eleanor, is she your friend?"

Jack's face turned light red and he said, "You could say that".

Jack coughed and changed the subject "Still can't believe that you're here Wally. If we get out of this, everyone's going to flip, especially Artemis"

"Why?" asked Wally

Jack shrugged "Well…because you're dead".

The speedster came to an abrupt halt. He spun around and looked at Jack in shock "What? Everyone thinks I'm dead!?"

"Well…yeah, I mean, all that they found of you were some bits of clothing and ash" Jack said rather grimly.

Wally felt his heart skip a beat. Everyone thought he was dead the whole time. The thought of seeing Artemis mourning him made Wally's heart ache.

Jack patted Wally on the shoulder "Hey, cheer up. If we get out of this, we'll go home and you'll see Artemis again". Wally's spirits lifted a little and they continued onward.

* * *

The trail led them to a tall, two story building at the far end of the Market District. The building had a sign above the door that read "_Lutece Laboratories" _

Elizabeth picked the lock open and the four entered Lutece Labs. The inside of Lutece Laboratories was not like any laboratory Wally or the others had seen before. For the most part, it looked like somebody's apartment. It was properly furnished and was tidy in the living areas. Scattered around some areas were lab equipment.

Jack saw a long conduit running from up the stairs to the downstairs.

Booker told the others to spread out and search. Elizabeth and Jack searched upstairs while Wally and Booker searched the ground floor.

Upstairs, Jack found what looked like a large back up generator connected to the conduit that ran down the stairs. Elizabeth searched through a bedroom where she found stacks of journals and notebooks, containing intricate equations and theories. Booker and Wally found a kitchen that was still stocked with food.

Eventually, the four regrouped on the ground floor. Booker murmured, "Why did Lady Comstock come here? There's nothing of interest anywhere"

"I think I know why" said Jack.

Jack followed the conduit that ran from the power generator down stairs and into a large work area in the basement. The massive machine was still running. There were two massive nodes that had arcs of blue and white bouncing between them. Floating between the nodes was a sliver of blue light.

Booker breathed, "It's a tear"

"There's something in there" said Elizabeth "Should I open it?" Booker nodded.

Elizabeth focused and the tear opened. Through the other side, they saw the lab except it was a lot cleaner and was well lit.

Suddenly a familiar voice screamed angrily from the other side of the tear "_You whore!"_

"That's my mother" breathed Elizabeth.

Rosalind spoke in a calm and soothing manner "_I assure you madam, my sexual interest in your beloved Prophet is non existent" _

"and that Lutece lady" added Jack.

Rosalind continued, "_Further more, he is quite sterile" _"_That's a lie!" _snarled Lady Comstock "_Come and get your little bastard! I want her out of my house!"_

The tear snapped shut and there was silence. Elizabeth stood there, her face white as chalk. She breathed, "They're not my real parents" "Sterile" murmured Booker.

Wally looked to Elizabeth "Then…what were you to them?"

"Probably a child they decided to imprison" said Elizabeth bitterly. She then said, "She deserved what Comstock did to her".

Jack found another set of footprints that led out of Lutece labs.

As they left Lutece labs, Jack noticed that Elizabeth looked rather depressed. He nudged her arm "Hey"

She glanced over to him and he joked, "Cheer up, you've dodged a bullet. You're not really the child of a vicious dictator. Which means you and your kids won't inherit the crazy genes".

Elizabeth smiled a little and chuckled.

* * *

Booker, Wally, Elizabeth and Jack made their way through the Financial District.

The trail led them through a gate that took them back to the thoroughfare where the Columbian Military and the Vox Populi were battling. Both armies were gone. Corpses and destroyed airships were scattered about. A number of buildings were reduced to mounds of burning rubble.

The footprints led up into a building that was guarded by a pair of men dressed in black hoods. Judging the way the men in the hoods dressed, it was obvious that the Columbian military was triumphant in this section of Emporia.

Jack took aim with his rifle and he quickly shot both men in the head. Both men went down before they knew what happened. Booker and the others rushed inside.

Inside, the four realized that it was a bank. The bank was large, had towering marble pillars holding up the ceiling and blue carpets. It was dark and the only source of light came from the various flashes of explosions from outside.

The bank was silent as a grave. Elizabeth frowned a little as the four walked through the bank "What does a bank have to do with my mother?"

Booker shrugged. Wally heard some soft whispering coming from an open elevator.

The inside of the elevator had two dead bank tellers lying on the floor covered in their own blood. Wally nodded to the elevator "Lets look there"

"Oh yeah, lets look in the creepy elevator filled with dead bodies" Jack murmured under his breath.

Booker and the others got in the elevator and Booker hit the button.

The elevator carried them to the bank's main hall. Some scattered lamps and moonlight that filtered through the glass ceiling faintly illuminated the main hall. The moonlight and lamplight casted long shadows on the towering marble pillars and angel statues.

Their footsteps echoed loudly through the empty hall. Elizabeth noticed a note pad on the bank tellers counter and she exclaimed "Fifty percent!"

"Of what?" asked Booker.

Elizabeth told him "Fifty percent of all money that passes through here goes to Comstock as tribute"

Jack whistled "Man I got to get a job here" "Me too" said Booker.

Wally shook his head muttering, "No wonder people here are pissed".

After walking down a long corridor, Booker noticed the luminous blue footprints leading down towards the vault. The four followed the footprints down a long flight of steps and continued on through a large room where they kept records. Ahead of them was a flickering blue light.

Booker, Wally, Elizabeth and Jack went around a corner where they saw another tear a few yards ahead of them.

They approached the tear carefully and Elizabeth opened it. Through the tear, they heard Jeremiah Fink talking "_And if I do this…uh…sabotage…all of their patents?" _

"_All of them, Mr. Fink" _said a voice none of them recognized.

Fink hummed and asked, "_Now, why does the Prophet want these two killed?" _

"_For the same reason Lady Comstock is buried: the Child" _said the voice.

Fink asked "_And why does he want me to do it?" _"_Because you're the only one who can do this" _answered the voice. The tear snapped shut.

After the tear vanished, more footprints appeared.

Elizabeth frowned and she said, "I don't think that's the REAL Lady Comstock. I think she's a combination of herself and my feelings towards her"

"What do you mean?" asked Booker.

Elizabeth shook her head slowly "I was just so angry with her and my father. I think she's her but…partly me"

Booker, Wally and Jack stared at her for a few moments. Elizabeth shrugged "I don't even understand it myself".

* * *

Booker, Wally, Elizabeth and Jack left the bank and followed the footsteps to a picture shop.

Inside, they found a few old cameras and portraits of various customers from all over Columbia. Booker found a tear in a backroom.

Elizabeth opened the tear and the four heard a man, who was probably the owner of the shop, say "_You two…but I took your funeral photo, you're dead!" _

_"Yes and we made an absolute hash of it" _said Rosalind Lutece

"_One does not expect a picture of ones corpse…" _said Robert Lutece

"_To come across so…lifelessly" _finished Rosalind. The tear snapped shut like the others. Elizabeth said in an almost whisper, "He killed them. Lady Comstock…the Luteces"

"And anyone who knew the truth was better dead than alive" said Booker.

Elizabeth shook her head slowly "I'm not even his daughter. I'm just a specimen to be poked and prodded".

Booker frowned "No, you're not. Listen to me…what you've been through, ain't nobody in the world deserves that"

"He's right" said Jack "Speaking from personal experience…nobody should have to go through this". Elizabeth looked from Jack to Booker.

She said "Booker-" "We are getting out of this city" promised Booker "We all are, together. Once we're gone, we'll never have to look back".

Elizabeth smiled and hugged Booker. Jack glanced over to the front door and saw a set of footprints that led back up to Comstock House.

Wally noticed it as well and they told Booker and Elizabeth. The four left the shop and hurried back up to Comstock house.

* * *

As they approached the front gates, a blinding white light appeared between and blocked their way to the gate.

Elizabeth stepped forward saying, "Rosalind Lutece is not my mother, and neither are you". The white light hissed at them and started to circle the group like a hungry shark.

Elizabeth continued, "I know that Comstock killed you. I know that you hated me for not being your daughter and I hated you for not being my mother"

Lady Comstock howled at Elizabeth but Elizabeth continued "I owe you an apology…Comstock used me to bring you back! But I brought back a version of you that I built up in my own head"

Lady Comstock circled around them even faster and began screaming threats.

But Elizabeth pushed on regardless "He pretended to love you, like he pretended to love me. I am not his bastard, I am his victim"

"_Liar! Liar! Liar!" _screeched Lady Comstock.

Elizabeth cried "But my days of victimhood are over. We must forgive each other because there is one far worse than you or I".

Suddenly Lady Comstock came to a halt and she looked at Elizabeth in surprise.

The woman blinked a few times and she spoke softly "_The Prophet…he killed me. My husband killed me" _"Because you wouldn't keep his secret. About me" said Elizabeth.

The ghostly Lady Comstock frowned and asked "_If that is so, then why am I alive?" _

Elizabeth shook her head "You're not. Not in this world. But maybe this is you in another. A world where you never met him" "_Or where I saved him?" _asked the ghost.

Elizabeth shook her head "I don't know. Is that possible?"

Lady Comstock said in a soft gentle voice "_Find out child. Find out"_ the ghostly image glowed brighter and brighter. A high pitched ringing sound filled their ears, making their teeth rattle and a few nearby windows to shatter. A cold wind howled and suddenly Lady Comstock's body exploded in a shower of thousands of white light fragments then the faded.

Lady Comstock was gone.

The four stood there in silence, staring up at where Lady Comstock once was. Elizabeth glanced over to Booker saying "Thank you, Booker".

Wally pointed towards the gates "Guys…"

Booker, Elizabeth and Jack turned and saw that Lady Comstock had melted the gates.

Booker cocked his weapon saying, "Alright, lets pay Comstock a little visit".

* * *

On the other side of the gates, Booker and the others found themselves in a gondola station.

Wally saw a long smooth rail that led up to a grand mansion that floated on its own, separate island. There was a switch and Booker pulled it to summon the gondola.

Suddenly, Songbird burst out from the clouds and landed in front of him. The mechanical bird knocked Wally and Jack out with a single swipe of its wing.

Songbird clamped a foot down on Booker, pinning him to the floor. Elizabeth cried "Booker!"

"Run Elizabeth!" yelled Booker.

Songbird bent its head down and grabbed the collar of Booker's shirt with its beak.

With one effortless swing, the mechanical bird flung Booker high into the air and sent him crashing through a window. An explosion of pain forced Booker to blackout.

* * *

Booker's eyes opened slowly and he found himself back in his office in New York. He glanced around and he saw two figures standing there in the shadows.

A voice yelled, "_Bring us the girl and wipe away your debt!"_

At first Booker thought it was the same recurring dream about his employers setting him off on his journey to Columbia. But there was a difference. A woman's accompanied the voice of his employer's. The woman's voice sounded familiar.

He squinted and he blanched. Standing there was Robert and Rosalind Lutece.

Booker saw Elizabeth standing in the corner of the office saying, "_Wipe away the debt" _

_"Wipe away the debt" _coursed a pair of voices.

Booker looked and he saw standing behind Elizabeth was Jack Ryan and a man with sapphire eyes.

On the man's face was an eerie, malicious grin and Jack's face was plain, expressionless and almost…wooden, like a puppet's.

The private investigator was confused as to what's happening. He suddenly heard a sound coming from the broom closet on the other side of the office.

Booker walked over to the door and he opened it slowly.

* * *

Booker found himself staring up at a ceiling. He heard the familiar screech of Songbird and the mechanical bird ripped away the ceiling.

Songbird dropped down from the ceiling and raised its talons to slice Booker apart.

But he heard Elizabeth cry "No! Stop it! Don't hurt him!" she got between the mechanical bird and Booker.

Songbird gently moved Elizabeth aside with its wing and it raised a razor sharp talon to impale Booker but it stopped when he heard Elizabeth scream, "I'm sorry!"

Songbird turned its head towards Elizabeth. Elizabeth spoke, her voice was slowly breaking "I…I never should've left. Take me back. Take… take me home"

She grabbed on to its leg. Songbird's eye began to glow green. The mechanical bird moved its wing around and encircled Elizabeth like a mother and her young.

Songbird nuzzled Elizabeth and scooped her up in its talons.

As Songbird carried Elizabeth away, she reached for Booker but couldn't. The mechanical behemoth smashed a hole in the wall and took off.

After a few minutes, Booker forced himself to his feet and he rushed over to the massive gaping hole in the wall.

In the thick grey storm clouds, he saw Songbird's shape cutting its way through the storm. Booker looked down below and saw Wally and Jack.

The two were slowly recovering from being knocked out by Songbird. The private investigator jumped.

Jack saw Booker and used his telekinesis to gently lower Booker to the ground.

Booker looked at the two "You both ok?" "Aside from this headache, yeah" said Jack rubbing his sore head.

Wally winced a little from the bruises he received and he nodded. The speedster asked Booker "Now what?"

"We go after them" said Booker "We save Elizabeth, kill Comstock and leave this city"

"I like that plan" remarked Jack "Short, simple, easy to remember".

* * *

Booker, Wally and Jack ran as quick as they could as the gale force winds buffeted against their bodies and lighting slashed across the sky. The three found a service bridge that connected Comstock House to the station where servants and workers could cross without using the gondolas.

As they ran against the wind, a familiar screech reached their ears.

Booker scowled and he screamed over the roar of the wind "I'm not going to let you take her from me! You hear me! Come on you rusty piece of shit! Come and get me!"

Jack made a comment about Booker's taunting but his voice was drowned out by thunder. The three continued running.

There was a flash of blinding white light and suddenly they came to a skidding halt.

Booker, Wally and Jack found themselves standing in the middle of a snow-covered path. Statues lined both sides of the path. Booker looked up and saw that everything was calm and peaceful as apposed to being stormy and chaotic.

Wally shivered as a cold wind gently brushed up against his body.

Jack frowned and he stuck out his tongue. A flake of snow landed on his tongue and he frowned in confusion "Snow?"

"But its July" said Booker.

Ahead of them was a grand structure that reached high into the sky. On the footsteps was a tear. Booker and the others ran towards the tear. When they got closer, they saw Elizabeth in the tear.

Booker yelled "Elizabeth!" "_Get your hands off of me!" _demanded Elizabeth.

Before they could reach the tear, the tear sealed itself up and faded. Booker scowled and he heard Elizabeth's voice coming from inside the structure.

The trio rushed inside and found another tear. The tear sealed itself up like before. Booker found another door and he opened it.

On the other side was a spacious, empty room. Standing in a graceful pose was a statue of Elizabeth.

A sign hung above her head that read "_Elizabeth Comstock, Godspeed thy judgment" _

"What the hell?" murmured Booker.

A recording of Elizabeth's voice spoke "_Some men dream of money, some men dream of love_._ My father dreamt of a flood of fire. We were given Eden and we turned it into Sodom"._

Booker ignored the recordings droning. He saw a door behind the statue. Booker, Jack and Wally crossed the room and passed through the door. They found themselves in a room where the freezing cold swept through the destroyed windows. A thin layer of frost covered the cold, stone floor. There were a few people dressed in shabby clothing, sitting around looking blank and lifeless.

Jack saw another tear on the far side of the room. Elizabeth's voice echoed from the tear "_Please! Let me go! I'm sorry, I won't do it again!"_

Booker's jaw tightened and the grip on his weapon tightened. He, Wally and Jack marched to the other side of the room.

This time the tear didn't vanish. Booker tired to enter the tear but he just passed right through it.

The private investigator cursed and said, "There's got to be a way through".

As they tried to come up with a solution, they heard Comstock speak to Elizabeth "_Pray with me child"_

_ "Please, let me go" _begged Elizabeth.

Comstock sighed "_I can't. You must be cured" "I'm not sick" _said Elizabeth.

Comstock chuckled a little "_Not physically. Your soul is ill. All I have ever wanted was to see you live to your full potential". _

There were footsteps and a new voice spoke "_I'm Doctor Pettifog" _

_"Get away from me!" _snarled Elizabeth.

The doctor sighed "_Defiant even after all this time. DeWitt abandoned you. They all did. You need to give up on them"_

_ "They'll come for me" _said Elizabeth confidently.

* * *

A few hours passed them by. The trio sat there in the cold, icy room as the room's occupants shuffled around aimlessly.

Jack sighed, "I got nothing. I know a thing or two about genetics and DNA but quantum physics is something else entirely"

"We got to try something" said Booker "Anything". Jack just shrugged.

Booker heard Dr. Pettifog speak "_Still waiting for Booker to rescue you? It's been six months…give up"._

Booker felt his heart sink "Six months?" She had been tortured and imprisoned for six months? It had been only a few hours! He suddenly saw a shape move behind them.

Booker spun around and saw someone disappear through another door. Booker nudged Wally and Jack "Come on, follow me" the two obeyed.

The three hurried through the door and ran after the shape. The shape led them down a long corridor filled with empty cells then across an atrium where they saw people in white clothing wandering aimlessly on the various floors above.

Eventually, the shape led them to what looked like the remains of an operating theater.

Half the theater was gone, leaving a wide-open view of an endless grey sky. Booker leveled his weapon to the figure "Who are you?"

"As you can see, Booker the lunatics are running the asylum" said the figure. The figure had a woman's voice that sounded weary and despondent.

She sighed "They don't listen to me anymore. All I can do now is stand here and watch as what I have wrought slide into its terminal stage. It took all I had to bring you here".

Booker's eyes widened in realization. It was Elizabeth. She turned to face them. She was older, much older. Her hair was tied into a bun and was streaked with grey. Elizabeth's face was wrinkled and looked exhausted. He stammered "E-Elizabeth…I don't understand. I heard your voice screaming. We were coming to get you. Are we-"

"Take my hand" said Elizabeth. She stretched out her hand.

Booker took her hand. Jack and Wally grabbed Booker's other hand and the four of them found themselves standing on a rooftop in the middle of New York at night.

The night sky was filled with Columbian airships. The airships rained down rockets, setting the city ablaze.

The older Elizabeth quoted the poster from the gondola station at Emporia "The seed of the prophet shall sit the throne and drown in flame the mountains of man. Say what you will about Comstock but he's a heck of a fortune teller"

She turned to face Booker and the others "It wasn't the torture that broke me. It wasn't the indoctrination, it was time" she sighed, "Time rots everything, Booker. Even hope"

"We were coming" said Booker in a soft voice "We were going to rescue you".

Elizabeth shook her head "Songbird stops you, every time".

Booker promised "We'll find away" "It's too late for me" said Elizabeth "I'm showing you this for your sake. Yours, theirs and hers".

The elderly Elizabeth handed Booker a card that had elegant writing on it. Booker took the card and asked, "What's this?"

"It's for her" said Elizabeth "She'll know how to read it".

Booker, Wally and Jack looked at the card then to Elizabeth "What does it say?" asked Wally.

Elizabeth shrugged "Just some advice"

"on what?" asked Jack. Elizabeth smiled a little "On how not to become me".

For a few silent moments, the four stared at each other. Elizabeth sighed as she looked at Wally and Jack "I missed you both. You were both like the little brothers I've always wanted" Elizabeth looked to Booker. Her eyes began to water "It was good, seeing you again Booker".

Before Booker could say anything, Elizabeth whispered "Goodbye" she raised her hands and suddenly the world around them melted away.

Elizabeth and the burning city vanished and the trio found themselves in a room with a phonograph, bookcases and red carpet.

Booker blinked a few times and glanced around. He murmured, "We're back in 1912"

"There's still time" said Wally.

Booker shoved the card the future Elizabeth gave him in his pocket and the three left the small room.

* * *

They raced through the corridor and reached a door where they heard Elizabeth's screams.

Booker kicked the door open and they found themselves in an operating theater where a pair of doctors had Elizabeth strapped to a chair with some machinery nearby. A large cube of bulletproof glass enclosed them, blocking out Booker and the others.

Booker saw Comstock observing from the observation booth. He bellowed "Comstock! What are you doing to her?!"

"Let her go!" demanded Wally.

"Ah, Mr. DeWitt" said Comstock calmly "What's the expression, a day late and a dollar short?"

Wally glanced around at the various machines in the operating theater saying "We got to shut this thing down"

"Maybe we can shut it down from up stairs" said Booker, nodding over to a doorway.

Jack nodded "On it". He darted across the theater and quickly climbed the stairs.

Comstock growled at Booker and Wally "You both have led my daughter into temptation"

"She is not your daughter!" said Booker.

Comstock scowled "Not now…but soon, she will be again".

Suddenly there was a low hum and one of the machines went quiet. Dr. Pettifog cried, "They shut down one of the generators!" a few seconds passed and more machines started to power down. Some of the lights even flickered off.

Dr. Pettifog exclaimed, "They just shut down the last siphon!"

Without warning, Elizabeth's body began to glow bright blue and white. The whole room began to tremble and quake. Dr. Pettifog backed away from Elizabeth as the restraints holding her melted. She slowly rose from the chair. Arcs of blue and white energy flew from her fingers, striking the machines within the glass cube. The terrified doctor tried to flee but a stray bolt of energy struck him square in the back and burned through his chest.

Soon the bolts of energy started to strike against the cube. The cube started to crack and Wally yelled "Get down!"

He and Booker threw themselves to the floor as the cube shattered and unleashed a devastating wave of energy.

Booker and Wally got up, brushed themselves off and glanced around. The entire theater was in ruins.

Shards of glass and metal laid strewn all over the floor. Sparks of electricity flew out from the destroyed light bulbs and low hanging wires from above.

Booker saw Elizabeth lying unconscious in the chair. He rushed over and helped her up. Wally rushed over and he saw a large needle with a wire attached at one end stuck out of Elizabeth's spine. Slowly, Elizabeth regained consciousness.

Booker spoke softly "It's ok, we got you". He looked at the needle and quickly pulled it out of her spine. Elizabeth winced in pain and thanked Booker.

Booker handed Elizabeth the card her older self gave them. She asked, "What is this?"

"Just read it" said Booker.

After she had read the card, Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock. She turned to Booker and said "Your dream of New York…it happens. It was me…I'm the one who"

"It doesn't matter" said Booker "She gave us a way past Songbird. We'll find an airship and leave".

Elizabeth shook her head "No. Not until we find Comstock"

"Why?" asked Wally.

Elizabeth looked at the speedster and said, "You saw what he turns me into. We must stop that from happening".

Booker wanted to argue but he didn't say anything. If they didn't take care of Comstock, he'll just keep following and attacking them.

Jack poked his head into the destroyed operating theater. He whistled "Man…I always miss the cool stuff".

Elizabeth told Booker "Comstock's Zeppelin is outside. Lets start there" Booker nodded and the four left the operating theater.

* * *

Booker, Wally, Elizabeth and Jack found an elevator and they ascended to the top floor.

At the top floor, the elevator deposited them in what looked like a lounge. Elizabeth looked outside the wide window and saw a massive Zeppelin hovering outside.

The four left the lounge and walked out onto a rooftop walkway that connected Comstock House to a small floating dock. Hovering at the dock was a small floating barge that could carry them to the Zeppelin.

Booker led the others across the walkway towards the Zeppelin.

After they disposed of the guards, Booker pulled a switch that made the autopilot set a course for Comstock's Zeppelin.

The barge left the floating dock and began making its way to the massive zeppelin.

After a short, quiet journey, the barge pulled up along side the zeppelin. Booker, Wally, Elizabeth and Jack disembarked the barge and boarded the zeppelin.

* * *

As they made their way through the corridors of the zeppelin, Jack whispered, "You know, I expected that there would be more guards"

"Yeah, you're right" said Booker.

Wally frowned "So…we're walking into a trap?" "Most likely" said Elizabeth.

Comstock's voice boomed through the corridors "_On one side of the Lamb stands the False Shepherd, the other, the Lost Son of the vile woman who tried to betray us and the remnants of the heretical Vox Populi!"_

"Blah, blah, blah" murmured Jack "Jeez, here I thought Sofia talked a lot".

The four passed some rooms that had workshops where Motorized Patriots were assembled. They ascended several decks, all of which were empty.

Finally, they reached the deck beneath Comstock's personal quarters.

Booker told Wally, Elizabeth and Jack "Let me handle this alone" "No way" said Wally

"We're going with you" chimed Elizabeth.

Booker wanted to argue but he didn't, knowing that he would be overruled.

Booker, Jack and Wally checked their weapons. Once they were ready, the four ascended the last flight of stairs and up to Comstock's quarters.

As they ascended the steps, Comstock's voice echoed down to them "_You've come to wipe your slate clean False Shepherd but time will walk backwards before you find redemption. Some sins, can't be forgiven"._

* * *

At the top of the stairs there was a solid steel door. Booker opened the door and the four slipped inside Comstock's quarters.

Inside, there was a small machine that sat on a pedestal. It looked like a smaller version of the machine at Monument Island.

Elizabeth inspected the machine and murmured "They were draining me"

"Huh?" said Booker

"When I was younger, I used to be able to not only open tears but to create new ones to where ever I wanted to go" explained Elizabeth.

They heard a voice say "Elizabeth".

Elizabeth, Booker and the others turned and saw Comstock. He stood at the far end of his quarters waiting for them.

His quarters were spacious. It was fashioned into a small tranquil grove that had a small pond, a garden of wild flowers, grass and a large painting of a serene forest.

Jack's eyebrows rose in surprise and he commented "Nice garden, not as good as Arcadia but still pretty nice".

Wally saw Vandal Savage standing next to Comstock along with Klarion and a man who Wally had never seen before.

Comstock looked a lot older than he did in the paintings, posters and statues scattered around Columbia. His face had a lot of wrinkles, he had a long white beard and tired blue eyes. He gestured to Elizabeth "Come, step forward".

Elizabeth approached her adopted father. Comstock smiled warmly at his daughter "My, how you've grown!"

"Indeed" said Vandal "You look like your mother".

Elizabeth looked to Vandal and said "Uncle Vandal…" "It is good to see you again" said the general "I have missed you so very much"

"Why did you stop visiting me?" asked Elizabeth.

Vandal sighed and bowed his head a little "Your father forbade me from ever returning. I was then assigned to hunt the Vox Populi until they were destroyed"

"And look how that worked out" said the stranger standing next to Klarion "Fitzroy is dead, the remnants of the Vox are being disposed of and peace will restored".

Wally frowned at the man "Who are you?" "Lionel Luthor" said the man, bowing his head a little. The speedster frowned "This day just gets weirder and weirder".

Comstock spoke to his daughter "You're a mess. Let me help you" he and Elizabeth moved over to the pond.

The old man knelt down and soaked a white cloth in the cool, clean water of the pond. He wiped off some of the grime from Elizabeth's hands and face.

Once he finished cleaning her, Elizabeth asked Comstock "What am I?" Comstock didn't answer.

Instead he said "My child, everything I've done was to protect you"

"Protect me from what?" asked Elizabeth.

Comstock murmured "The seed of the prophet shall sit the throne and drown in flame the mountains of man. That's what the archangel told me. He also revealed to me something else. 'Beware prophet, beware the False Shepherd Booker DeWitt and the Lost Son, Wally Lutece for they shall be a wall between her and her destiny".

Comstock glanced over to Booker and spoke "DeWitt, I've been a fool. I've sent mighty armies after you, I've rained fire down from the sky. I did all that to keep you from her when in fact, I should've been truthful with her".

Booker's hand clenched into a fist and he looked ready to beat the elderly man to death.

Jack spoke up "Look, Mr. Comstock, I'm not a deeply spiritual person but even a guy like myself sees that you're crazy. Guys like you give religion a bad name. Speaking from experience, these psycho extremist cults usually end in blood and madness. Actually, you remind me of a guy I knew, named Father Whales-"

"Who are you?" asked Comstock.

Jack paused and grinned sheepishly "Jack Ryan, pleasure to make your acquaintance".

The old man looked Jack up and down and he frowned in confusion "You look…familiar"

"I guess I have one of those faces" said Jack.

Comstock shook his head "No…that's not it. You remind me of someone".

Eventually the old man shook his head "It will come to me later".

Comstock turned to Elizabeth and said "Child, ask DeWitt about your finger".

Everyone looked to Booker. Elizabeth shook her head. Comstock grabbed Elizabeth's arm, his voice became a growl "Ask him. Ask him about your finger"

"Let go of me!" said Elizabeth. Before anyone could stop him, Booker grabbed Comstock by the throat and shoved him away from Elizabeth. The private investigator pushed Comstock to the ground and began to strangle him.

Booker growled "She was your daughter you son of a bitch! And you abandoned her!"

"Booker!" cried Wally. But Booker didn't listen.

Booker snarled "Well was it worth it! Did you get what you wanted? Tell me! Tell me!" Comstock began chocking.

Booker slammed the old man's head against the grass-covered ground. Elizabeth tried to stop him. She pleaded "Booker stop!" but Booker was too angry to listen to her either.

After slamming Comstock's head against the ground, Booker heard the elderly man wheeze something.

Booker and the others listened and they heard Comstock murmur, "It…is finished".

Booker flipped the old man over and he shoved Comstock's head into the pond.

The private investigator held the old man's head under the water and he yelled at the drowning man "Nothing is over! You lock her up her whole life! Tortured her and cut off her finger and put it on me!" Comstock struggled weakly against Booker's grip but eventually he stopped moving.

Elizabeth, Wally, Jack, Vandal, Lionel and Klarion stared at Booker in shock.

Comstock was dead.

For several minutes, nobody said anything. Elizabeth asked Booker, sounding a little frightened "What did he mean? What happened to my finger?"

"I-I don't know" stammered Booker "I just assumed that you were born with it".

Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock "Your nose…it's bleeding". Booker felt a wave of pain rush through his head and some images flashed through his mind. The images faded quickly.

Booker shook his head slowly "Elizabeth, I swear I don't know what happened"

"You do" said Elizabeth "You just don't remember".

Booker said "No, I'll prove it to you. We need to destroy the siphon and you can open a tear"

"Destroy the siphon?" said Klarion in surprise "It's the whole tower monument. How are you going to bring that down?"

"I'll figure it out when we get there" grunted Booker. The lord of chaos grinned, "I like your style".

Wally glanced over to Vandal and Lional "Why didn't you stop Booker?"

"Comstock gave us explicit orders not to interfere, no matter what happens" said Vandal.

Klarion nodded "Yeah. That and we hate that stuffy old geezer".

Wally scowled at the three and said "So…now what?"

"We destroy the siphon" said Vandal "And Elizabeth will open a tear to a new world for us."

"Why?" asked Elizabeth.

Vandal looked at Elizabeth saying, "Comstock had promised us a way to a new world. We have nothing to keep us here."

"We intend to start anew" said Lionel "In a better world".

Elizabeth frowned at her Uncle "But…we won't be able to see each other again"

"I suppose so" said Vandal. She hugged Vandal saying, "I'll miss you"

"I'll miss you too" said Vandal in a soft voice. Wally was surprised to see a softer side to the vicious immortal conqueror. Then again, Vandal was a human being and there were many things that are still a mystery to the speedster.

Booker spoke up "Ok, to Monument Island we go"

"No you will not" said a voice.

Booker, Wally, Elizabeth, Vandal, Lionel and Klarion turned and saw standing on the other side of the tranquil grove was a man in a grey suit and fedora. At first, Wally thought it was John Friday but at a second glance he realized that it was a different man. The man was older, had sapphire colored eyes and some deep lines on his face.

The man regarded them coldly and said, "You will not be proceeding any further".

Klarion's eyes widened in horror "Uh oh" the man snapped his fingers and Klarion vanished in a flash of white light.

Vandal snarled and he moved to attack the man but the man flicked his wrist, sending the general flying and crashing his head against a rock.

The man's eyes went to Lionel who just held up his hands saying "Ok, you got me".

Booker scowled at the man "Who are you?"

"I am Daniel Greystone" answered the man "And I'm afraid that your journey is at an end".

Booker drew his gun and aimed at the man's heart "Just try and stop us"

"I don't have to" said Daniel emotionlessly.

Booker heard a gun cocking behind him and he turned around. Standing there with pistol aimed for his head was Jack.

Jack's face was blank and expressionless. Wally stared at Jack in shock "Jack?"

"The circle must be broken" Jack stated blankly.

The speedster looked to Daniel and demanded, "What did you do to him?"

"We have adjusted him and fashioned him to be our weapon against the anomalies" said Daniel evenly "He is the cure".

Elizabeth frowned "Cure for what?"

"You" stated Daniel.

End of chapter

* * *

**(a/n: Well what do you think? Ok, announcement! I'm going on Hiatus now. I have said so in the beginning of this story that i probably won't finish the story. The reason for my hiatus is personal. That and the fact is that i've been writing for almost three years and i need a break. **

**But don't worry, i'll be back to finish the story and i'll have some new ideas too. **

**The story shall continue in the Summer of 2015. I know its a long time but its the only time i know for sure that i'll be back online.**

** I hope you don't mind wait. In the meantime, check out some of my other stories or put this story on watch or fave. **

**Anyway, thank you for reading and reviewing. I hope you'll forgive me and i'll see you later!)**


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